Presidential elections are scheduled for this week on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who clinched to power with 23.84% of the votes in the last elections, rigged with the help of his predecessor, is eyeing a second term. As Tshisekedi’s regime faces a wave of unpopularity, he’s resorting to whipping up nationalist sentiment among the Congolese, painting his political opponents as agents of Rwanda.
To start, Tshisekedi is witnessing a decline in popularity among Congolese voters who are rallying behind opponents he labels as tools of Rwanda. Over the past five years, Tshisekedi has been more occupied with looting DRC’s resources and squandering the state budget than fulfilling his duties as the nation’s leader. Notably, Tshisekedi has distinguished himself with rampant tribalism, ensuring that key positions in his regime are exclusively held by members of his Luba ethnic group. His governance track record includes lavish lifestyles for Kinshasa’s elites, authoritarianism, and widespread massacres of unarmed civilians, not confined to the eastern reaches but spanning the vast 2.5 million km² of DRC territory.
Additionally, Tshisekedi is resorting to labeling his rivals as “candidat de l’étranger” (candidates of the foreigner) since he seems to lack any substantial offerings for the Congolese voters. Under his rule, two-thirds of Congolese survive on less than $2 a day, with a poverty rate skyrocketing to 62%. More than 26 million Congolese are grappling with food insecurity, inflation is soaring at around 20% (as per the World Bank), and the Congolese franc is witnessing a severe depreciation, punishing the population. The country is grappling with a shortage of everything – from infrastructure and access to water and electricity to healthcare and education.
Furthermore, Tshisekedi is muzzling political adversaries, baselessly branding them as pawns of Rwanda. Since ascending to power, he’s wielded ad personam laws, tossing rivals into prison and orchestrating their exclusion from presidential elections. But alas, Moïse Katumbi rallied heavyweight allies, including the likes of Augustin Matata Ponyo, Delly Sesanga, Seth Kikuni, and Franck Diongo. In the face of this coalition’s undeniable popularity, Tshisekedi resorts to the tired label of “Rwandan agents” for every one of them.
In a nutshell, Tshisekedi’s reign of mediocrity and corruption has sentenced the people of the DRC to a life of poverty, displacement, and terror for far too long. His rivals, gaining traction among the 44 million Congolese voters gearing up for the December 20 polls, acknowledge this grim reality. Tshisekedi may persist in branding them “Rwandan agents,” but these political adversaries are true-blooded Congolese fighting, like every citizen, to end Tshisekedi’s era marked by financial mismanagement, corruption, public fund misappropriation, impunity, and enrichment.
Tshisekedi, in a right mess of his own making, seems oblivious to the fact that his iron-fisted rule is losing hearts and minds. If he thinks brute force will secure his position, he’s in for a rude awakening, as declared by General John Numbi Tambo Banza, ex-inspector general of the Congolese National Police. Not to be outdone, Corneille Nangaa, former Boss of the CENI, created a new politico-military alliance called the “Congo River Alliance” (AFC), vowing to “save the Nation in danger and restore the dignity of the Congolese.” Tshisekedi, beware – your days in Palais de la Nation are numbered!
ellenkampire