After weeks of confusion and public contradictions over the fate of the genocidal FDLR in DR Congo, the country’s prime minister Judith Suminwa, has finally moved to impose order.
She’s instructed her ministers to refrain from commenting on the recently signed peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, as well as the parallel Doha negotiations with the M23/AFC coalition.
This order of silencing FDLR sympathisers inside Tshisekedi’s cabinet comes after days of embarrassing contradictions among Tshisekedi’s top officials, many of whom have been benefiting from the FDLR’s continued existence. The FDLR has long operated in eastern Congo with the support from elements within the Congolese regime.
Ministers, including Julien Paluku and Nzangi Muhindo, and parliamentarians like Justin Bitakwira, repeatedly issued conflicting statements, at times even denying the FDLR’s presence, despite extensive evidence to the contrary.
Suminwa noted that this public bickering not only undermined Kinshasa’s credibility but also exposed the uncomfortable reality of how deeply some officials were entangled with the FDLR for personal or political gain.
To contain the fallout, Prime Minister Suminwa designated just three officials authorized to speak publicly on the matter: Foreign Affairs Minister Kayikwamba, the regime’s mouthpiece, Patrick Muyaya, and the Presidential Communications Team. Everyone else has been told to keep quiet so they may avoid humiliation.
For many observers, this move is less about ensuring coherent messaging and more about damage control. At the heart of the controversy is the peace deal’s core demand: the neutralization and repatriation of the FDLR, a process that directly threatens the interests of those who have long profited from the group’s activities.
While the Tshisekedi regime scrambles to project unity, many Congolese are watching closely to see whether this agreement will finally bring stability to the eastern provinces.
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