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Nov
16
2023
By The African Mirror
DRC elections: the Kabila family legacy looms large over the country’s polls

DRC elections: the Kabila family legacy looms large over the country’s polls

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
THE Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to hold elections on 20 December 2023. The country’s electoral commission has announced President Felix Tshisekedi will be seeking reelection alongside 23 other candidates. They include Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege and the runner-up in the 2018 presidential election, Martin Fayulu. The courts will confirm the final list of candidates. One key political figure has yet to make his intentions known: Joseph Kabila. He was president for 18 years until Tshisekedi took over in 2019. The DRC’s constitution allows two five-year terms, but he remained in power by delaying elections. He holds…
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Jul
15
2023
By ELIAS BIRYABAREMA
Uganda president says ex-Congo leader gave sanctuary to Islamist rebels

Uganda president says ex-Congo leader gave sanctuary to Islamist rebels

NEWS
UGANDA'S President Yoweri has accused a former leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, of giving sanctuary to Islamist fighters and allowing them to exploit minerals and timber and use the proceeds to build their strength. A former Uganda-based rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) in 2019, has been operating in the jungles of the east of neighbouring Congo for years, carrying out killings of both civilians and security personnel. Last month, fighters from the group crossed the border into Uganda, stormed a secondary school and massacred 42 people, mostly students.…
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Jun
18
2022
By The African Mirror
What the 100-year-old Makerere University in Uganda reveals about culture

What the 100-year-old Makerere University in Uganda reveals about culture

EDUCATION
MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, which marks its centenary this year, is well-known as the oldest university in East Africa and as a cradle of political elites. Its alumni include presidents and prime ministers – among them Joseph Kabila (Democratic Republic of Congo), Julius Nyerere and Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania), Mwai Kibaki (Kenya), and Milton Obote and Ruhakana Rugunda (Uganda). Author JOAN RICART-HUGUET, Assistant Professor, Loyola University Maryland and Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer, Yale University Writers such as Ngugi wa Thiong'o from Kenya and David Rubadiri from Tanzania, scholars and political activists such as Stella Nyanzi and Bobi Wine are also Makerere alumni. Less…
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May
07
2021
By The African Mirror
DRC president tightens control

DRC president tightens control

NEWS
DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi yesterday struck a heavy blow against his predecessor and political rival Joseph Kabila as his allies ousted the governor of Tanganyika province. It was the latest move by Tshisekedi's supporters to seize levers of power from Kabila, whose younger brother Zoe Kabila has run the southeastern territory for the last two years and was the only governor refusing to align himself with Tshisekedi. In October, Tshisekedi appointed three judges to Democratic Republic of Congo's constitutional court, the first in a series of manoeuvres that unshackled him from Kabila, then his coalition partner. Tshisekedi…
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Apr
13
2021
By The African Mirror
Congo names new Cabinet, cementing president’s power over predecessor

Congo names new Cabinet, cementing president’s power over predecessor

NEWS
DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's Prime Minister announced a new Cabinet on Monday, completing a government overhaul by President Felix Tshisekedi that strengthens his hold on power. The new government is a further blow to Tshisekedi's predecessor and former coalition partner, Joseph Kabila, who stepped down in January 2019 but maintained control of some ministries, the legislature, judiciary and security services. Since announcing the end of their alliance in December, Tshisekedi has succeeded in replacing Kabila's allies at the head of the parliament and senate, as well as the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, himself appointed in February, named…
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Feb
03
2021
By The African Mirror
Congo senators move to oust Kabila ally

Congo senators move to oust Kabila ally

NEWS
HEREWARD HOLLAND A majority of senators in the Democratic Republic of Congo filed a petition to oust the leader of the upper house of parliament on Tuesday, the latest move by allies of President Felix Tshisekedi to weaken his predecessor's lingering power. In recent months, Tshisekedi has chipped away at the influence of former President Joseph Kabila, with whom he had an awkward political alliance following a disputed 2018 election. A longtime opponent of Kabila, who governed from 2001-2019, Tshisekedi won office by beating Kabila's chosen successor in a vote observers said another opposition candidate had won. However, the new…
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Jan
30
2021
By The African Mirror
Congo prime minister resigns

Congo prime minister resigns

NEWS
DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba resigned yesterday, the presidency said, a move that will enable President Felix Tshisekedi to rid the government of his predecessor's allies and push through his own policies. Democratic Republic of Congo's Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba. Picture: Alex Muamba/Flickr Ilunga, an ally of former President Joseph Kabila, stepped down after parliament passed a no-confidence motion on Wednesday, the latest in a series of political victories for Tshisekedi over Kabila in recent weeks. Ilunga "has just handed in his resignation," the presidency said on Twitter. "He said he had taken note of…
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Jan
02
2021
By The African Mirror
Breaking with predecessor, Congo’s Tshisekedi seeks new parliamentary base

Breaking with predecessor, Congo’s Tshisekedi seeks new parliamentary base

NEWS
DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has asked a senator to work out if he can build up a new bloc of supporters in parliament that could help him force out a cabinet dominated by backers of his predecessor, Joseph Kabila. Tshisekedi moved last month to end an awkward power-sharing coalition he was forced into with Kabila, who stepped down in January 2019 after 18 years in office but whose allies still controlled majorities in parliament. Tshisekedi says divisions in the alliance have frustrated his efforts to address armed violence in the mineral-rich east, reform the judiciary and secure…
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Dec
12
2020
By The African Mirror
Congo Parliament ousts speaker, confirming shift in power balance

Congo Parliament ousts speaker, confirming shift in power balance

NEWS
STANIS BUJAKERA THE Democratic Republic of Congo's lower house of Parliament has voted to remove its speaker, handing President Felix Tshisekedi a major victory in a power struggle with his predecessor and coalition partner Joseph Kabila. The vote was a show of strength by Tshisekedi's allies, who might have enough support to form a new majority in Parliament and bring down the prime minister's government, which is dominated by Kabila loyalists. The National Assembly voted by 281 to 200 to impeach speaker Jeanine Mabunda, a close Kabila ally, accusing her of "conflictual and partisan" leadership and not being transparent about…
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Dec
09
2020
By The African Mirror
Lawmakers throw buckets and chairs in Congo parliament brawl

Lawmakers throw buckets and chairs in Congo parliament brawl

NEWS
CONGO’S parliament descended into chaos on Tuesday as rival political groups flung chairs and buckets in a brawl that laid bare the tensions caused by President Felix Tshisekedi's move to end an alliance with his predecessor, Joseph Kabila. Tshisekedi announced on Sunday he planned to disband his governing coalition with allies of Kabila, while Kabila's side said that would be illegal. The standoff has raised fears of fresh instability in the Central African country whose economy has been badly rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and whose recent history has been marked by repeated civil wars and political upheaval. Former DRC…
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