DRC: two years after the investiture of Félix Tshisekedi, the break with Joseph Kabila

(illustration) Inauguration ceremony of the new president of the DRC in Kinshasa, January 24, 2019: the outgoing head of state Joseph Kabila (L) hands over the presidential sash to his successor Félix Tshisekedi (R).

REUTERS / Olivia Acland

Text by: Sonia Rolley Follow

6 min

It was two years ago to the day, the investiture of Felix Tshisekedi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, son of the historical opponent, to the presidency of the Republic and these images of braces with his predecessor Joseph Kabila with which he had formed a coalition.

This political experiment lasted barely two years, because today the supporters of President Tshisekedi threaten to oust the government, after having overthrown the office of the National Assembly.

They accuse former head of state Joseph Kabila and his relatives of preventing President Tshisekedi's initiatives to improve governance.

But civil society remains very critical of these efforts, especially in the fight against corruption.

Publicity

Read more

from our special correspondent in Kinshasa,

In January 2020, barely four months after the installation of the Cach-FCC coalition government, discontent rises among the population overwhelmed by scandals of embezzlement of public money and tensions appear in broad daylight between the two allies.

In London, while speaking in front of his supporters, President Tshisekedi claims to be blocked in his action and threatens to dissolve the National Assembly, largely dominated by Joseph Kabila's FCC.

To read also

: presidency of Félix Tshisekedi in the DRC: one year later, what political assessment?

Its president

Jeanine Mabunda

allows herself to reframe the head of state: "is not a lawyer who wants", she launches in front of the press, while sending Felix Tshisekedi to the management of the country and to control the rate of exchange of the Congolese franc with the dollar which had soared.

The tone is rising between the executive and the legislative, but the real battle is played above all at the level of the judiciary.

Félix Tshisekedi appoints new magistrates, including three judges at the Constitutional Court, competent to judge the president, validate the elections and the proper functioning of the institutions, which is denounced by Joseph Kabila's FCC.

For months, delegations from the old and new heads of state will discuss this stumbling block, as well as others.

Neither Felix Tshisekedi nor Joseph Kabila will want to give in.

But at the end of October, the Congolese president took the initiative to break up the coalition, launched national consultations boycotted by the FCC and called for the Sacred Union.

To read also

: in the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi announces the end of the FCC-Cach coalition

Since then, motions have multiplied in the Assembly to first dismiss his office, then today

the government of Sylvestre Ilunga

and the FCC denounces him the violation of the texts which govern the DRC and the corruption of the deputies who rally the Union sacred.

A Cach-FCC coalition accused of mismanagement 

During his first year in office, Felix Tshisekedi has a speech deemed ambiguous by civil society, promising to make the fight against corruption his priority, while ensuring not to delve into the past.

Finally, the first big fish to bear the brunt of this fight is his chief of staff,

Vital Kamerhe

.

He is accused of having orchestrated the embezzlement of tens of millions of dollars from the head of state's 100 days program.

Faced with popular discontent, President Tshisekedi asks for an audit.

The predominantly pro-Kabila government transforms it into legal proceedings and Vital Kamerhe is condemned.

The tensions between the former and the new head of state are also measured at the rate of the denunciations that fuse from both sides on the use of these funds, such as those of the fight against Covid-19 or even on the budgetary expenditure of institutions.

To read also

: in the DRC: the expenses of the presidency and the prime minister skid in the month of July

Very quickly, civil society mobilized on issues of the fight against corruption denounced double standards, two measures in the prosecutions initiated, the personalities targeted and the convictions obtained, but also the lack of resources granted to the institutions responsible for control, such as the General Inspectorate of Finance and the Court of Auditors.

These NGOs are particularly suspicious of the new agency for the prevention and fight against corruption which depends on the presidency.

Some of its agents have since been the main actors in a corruptio scandal.

On the side of the presidency, we say we want with the Sacred Union to demonstrate more transparency, while indicating that it cannot tackle all the problems head-on.

Joseph Kabila's FCC denounces the embezzlement of the Tshisekedi administration or even the corruption to which deputies are subject to join the Sacred Union.

A call to do better on human rights

For human rights organizations, both Congolese and foreign, after six months of improvement, the political space has again shrunk in the country and the picture of these two years of joint management is rather bleak.

“ 

After six months, we have seen that the old ways of violating human rights, including repression of public protests and other human rights violations, have continued;

regret

Rostin Manketa, executive director of the Voix des Sans Voix

.

Last year, for example, we had to deal with the cases of more than twenty human rights defenders who have experienced problems, problems of persecution, problems of arbitrary arrests, illegal detentions ... And all of this, we saw it within the framework of the joint management of the FCC-CACH power.

We said we had a president who didn't have a free hand.

Now, we say to ourselves that there is no longer an FCC-CACH coalition.

And everyone will be watching to the head of the

E

state, which has more in front of him opponents able to block.

And I say it's a double-edged sword, because if things don't go the right way, it will be easily criticized.

He is the number one in the country

 ”.

Also listen to the series:

The assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila, a Congolese thriller

To listen to and read the series: 

Lumumba, an independence assassinated

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • DRC

  • Joseph Kabila

  • Etienne Tshisekedi

On the same subject

DRC: discussions around the Katumbi and Bemba movements to join the Sacred Union

Lumumba, an assassinated independence

Lumumba: the springs of a powerful myth

DRC: deputies summoned to specify their membership of the majority or the opposition