Tensions are rising in the DRC between the government and the opposition

On Tuesday, May 30, there is a rather unusual scene on the tarmac of Ndjili Airport in Kinshasa. Before December’s presidential candidate, Moise Katumbi, boarded a flight to Lubumbashi, the capital of Katanga province, his special adviser, Salomon Idi Dela, was roughly arrested by security forces, dressed in black, and forced into a 4×4.

“After a month in Kinshasa, ten of them accompanied Moise Katumbi to Lubumbashi, but only Mr. Salomon was arrested. For several days we were afraid of the arrest of members of the opposition, but we do not know what they are accusing us of.”explains Olivier Camitatu, spokesperson for the President of the Ensemble pour la République, joined by the world. The former governor of Katanga immediately condemned the arrest “arbitrary and illegal”summary “authority” from “Explain and Release”.

Moise Katumbi’s outrage was immediately followed by that of other members of the Congolese opposition. “Democracy is dead”– exclaims the former Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Maponi, who also declared for the upcoming presidential elections. Although the vote is scheduled to take place in seven months, these contenders are now united against the power of President Felix Szczeced. And, in turn, condemned their disappointment.

“bullying”

Four days before the airport episode, Mr Maypon complained of being denied entry to Kikwit (east of Kinshasa).“bullying” – Finally he was able to hold a meeting. Before that, Moise Katumbi was prevented from going to the Congo-Central province. The police blocked the roads of the ex-governor’s procession for several hours, blocked the road traffic and finally forced the political delegation to turn back. The entourage of the governor of Congo-Central, Guy Bandu, explained this decision in terms of security, which, according to him, does not allow large-scale political demonstrations to be held.

Tensions between Mr. Tsiskedi’s government and the opposition have risen sharply in recent weeks. On May 24, a protest rally in front of the Election Commission was unceremoniously disbanded, when a protest rally four days earlier had been brutally suppressed. During the parade that day, the police caused a scandal by kicking, beating and slapping a 12-year-old child.

The European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom… but also the powerful bishops’ conference condemned the excessive use of force by the police against the demonstrators on May 20. Felix Tsiskedi has never caused such displeasure since his arrival at the beginning of 2019.

Looking for chaos?

The president admitted that he visited the hospitals to find out the health condition of the injured “excesses” which he attributes to the police and the previous regime under Joseph Kabila. “Also, you must understand that we have a police force that has been seizing the creature for eighteen years. We recruited young men who we put in uniform, but without training, without anything. They were sent to the violators to make sacrifices and terrorize the population.”, he explained. According to Felix Tsiskedi, the opposition has a certain responsibility: “These police, who were not very well informed, were pushed to the limit by mobs of people who were recruited, paid and possibly drugged to provoke and attack the police. »

From China, where he was on a state visit from May 23 to 29, Felix Tsisekedi accused the opposition of working to prevent the election, while the political class fears that “skating” From the calendar: “Finally, I don’t know what [l’opposition] I want. He condemned the Election Commission and the Constitutional Court. Eventually he joined the process [électoral]. (…) We don’t know what we want. »

He even accused the opposition of seeking chaos: “These are exactly the same tendencies of this horrible neighbor [le Rwanda] who wants to destabilize the DRC in the east of the country. Now they want to shift the focus of tension to the heart of Kinshasa and at the same time count the ferment on the Katanga side. We know all this. And we will defend ourselves tooth and nail. »