The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is going through a dense political period with the appointment of a new prime minister in the person of Sama Lukonde Kyenge, 43 years old. Until now, he was Managing Director of the public mining company Gécamines (General of Quarries and Mines), the country’s industrial flagship. He was appointed to this post in June 2019 by… President Félix Tshisekedi.
An appointment welcomed by Moïse Katumbi for a country in search of political stability
Originally from the mining region of Katanga (South-East), former Minister of Sports of Joseph Kabila, Mr. Sama Lukonde is an activist of Avenir du Congo (Aco), a small political party which migrated from the camp of the former governor from the former Katanga and extremely wealthy businessman Moïse Katumbi to that of Tshisekedi since 2018. Mr. Katumbi, who in turn has become closer in recent months to Mr. Tshisekedi, welcomed the appointment of the new Prime Minister: ” I wish him every success in his heavy burdens, among which peace and security for all Congolese remain the major challenge for government action ”.
The largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, with a troubled political history, the DRC has been destabilized in its eastern part for nearly three decades by the activities of dozens of local and foreign armed groups. It experienced its first peaceful transition to the top of the state on January 24, 2019, when ex-President Kabila handed over power to former opponent Félix Tshisekedi, proclaimed winner of the controversial presidential election of December 2018. Mr. Tshisekedi then led the country in coalition with the forces making up the Common Front for Congo (FCC) led by Mr. Kabila, which formed a majority in Parliament following legislative elections held on the same day as the presidential election.
Last November, the Head of State endeavored to rally a new parliamentary majority – known as a “sacred union” – in his favor, against the backdrop of the threat of dissolution of the National Assembly, in order to implement its reform policy supported by the United States and the European Union (EU). At the end of the political “consultations” he initiated, Mr. Tshisekedi declared on December 6 the end of the coalition he formed with the camp of his predecessor Kabila.
All those close to former President Kabila were then successively removed from the head of the country’s political institutions, while a large part of the political class left Mr. Kabila to pledge allegiance to Mr. Tshisekedi. Thus, after the dismissal by the National Assembly of its pro-Kabila president Jeanine Mabunda, Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba and Senate President Alexis Thambwe were forced to resign by President Tshisekedi’s camp.
With the appointment of the new Prime Minister, Mr. Tshisekedi, 57, son of the historic opponent Étienne Tshisekedi, has a free hand to implement his program: fight against corruption and poverty that affects two-thirds of the population and bring back peace in the east of the country. The new Prime Minister qualified the security issue as one of the “priority areas, particularly in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Katanga”, after an interview with the head of state.
Rich mining region in the South-East, Katanga is regularly shaken by incursions of armed men identified by the authorities as independence militias. The last such attack took place Sunday in Lubumbashi, the provincial capital and the country’s second city, with a death toll of eleven, including six insurgents. Originally from this region like the new Prime Minister, ex-President Kabila has withdrawn there since mid-December after Mr. Tshisekedi shattered the ruling coalition.
The next step for the head of state remains the formation of the government of “sacred union”. The new Prime Minister wished to be at the head of an executive “with greater participation of youth and greater participation of women”. “Through this appointment, we must salute the symbolism of the renewal of the ruling class,” responded to AFP Floribert Anzuluni, coordinator of the citizen movement Filimbi.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
