The front page of the press this week in Kinshasa
In the spotlight: King Philippe's stay in the DRC
Audio 02:59
The King of the Belgians, Philippe, and the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi at Kinshasa airport, June 7, 2022. © ARSENE MPIANA/AFP
By: Kamanda Wa Kamanda
3 mins
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“
King Philippe in the DRC: six days to turn the page and start afresh
”.
It is on the front page of the newspaper
ECONEWS
which recalls that this trip of the King of the Belgians, announced many times, constitutes the first visit of the monarch since he acceded to the throne.
“Between Belgium and its former colony, the DRC, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge
”.
writes the tabloid, before recalling that “
the last years of Joseph Kabila in power were very turbulent between Kinshasa and Brussels.
In power since January 2019,
explains
ECONEWS, the current Head of State, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, is striving to lay new foundations for mutually beneficial cooperation with Belgium, which he rightly considers, moreover, as his second homeland
”.
The DRC and Belgium resolutely turned towards the future
The daily
Forum des As
, headlines, for its part:
"The DRC and Belgium resolutely turned towards the future
".
The colleagues of this newspaper retain two sentences of the speeches delivered before the Congolese Parliament meeting in congress.
A phrase from King Philippe: “
Today, the foundations of a new bilateral partnership have been laid
.
The other sentence is that of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi: "
Your presence among us is a reason to believe in the realization of the new approach to our relations
".
“
Brussels supports Kinshasa
,” says the bi-weekly
Le Maximum
.
According to this newspaper, faced with the manifest indifference of the international community vis-à-vis the atrocities perpetrated in eastern DRC by forces supported by Rwanda, another former Belgian colony, little more was expected of the part of the sovereign who limited himself to congratulating the Congolese president for the success of his diplomacy.
And despite what some in the opposition say, the country of Lumumba seems to have won an ally to its cause, observes
Le Maximum
which notes that the reactions to the speech of the King of the Belgians are divided.
“
For some,
explains the newspaper
, the King of the Belgians has just spoken the same words for which the fate of Patrice Emery Lumumba was sealed 62 years ago.
For the others, there is the imperative to defend the borders of the DRC and to maintain dialogue with neighboring countries
.
»
The dearest wish of King Philippe is the warming of relations between Belgium and the DRC
For the daily
Le Phare
, King Philippe delivered a message that went straight to the hearts of millions of Congolese happy to hear him express his regrets for the black page of the colonial past.
Before, we can still read, to shoot it and reaffirm his country's concern to see the former Belgian colony forever preserve the integrity of its living space and break with the cycles of violence in its eastern part.
King Philippe's dearest wish is to warm up relations between Belgium and the DRC in the most diverse areas, for the happiness of their peoples.
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ground floor
Belgium
Philip of Belgium
Felix Tshisekedi
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Africa