Kabila says Tshisekedi government ‘dictatorial’

Author: Matiya Mulumba

• 2023-09-24 05:30:00

Joseph Kabila served as President of the Democratic Republic of Congo from January 2001 to January 2019.

Former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila is an angry man after his successor, Felix Tshisekedi, denied him as well as members of his family and close political allies freedom of movement, according to reliable sources.

Sources say that Kabila has warned of upcoming chaos in DRC although he did not explain the nature of the chaos; whether it is of his own making or related to the forth-coming elections.

Kabila’s view, however, is shared with other opposition politicians who continue to predict more trouble for DRC as Tshisekedi has stubbornly refused to dialogue with the M23 rebels who took up arms against the government for over a decade, to fight for their rights.

Instead of embracing the political process, Tshisekedi believes in a military option which has not provided a lasting solution to the crisis in eastern DRC for years.

Kabila influenced the ‘fraudulent elections’ in 2018 that installed Tshisekedi as his successor, but their honeymoon did not last long.  Indeed, in politics, there are neither permanent friends nor enemies, and it is about shared interests.

In December 2020, the allies of Kabila within the Common Front for Congo (FCC) political alliance accused Tshisekedi of violating the Constitution over his plan to form a new governing coalition, describing the move as “dictatorial”.

The FCC representative at the time, Nehemie Mwilanya, said that, the Congolese head of state's actions “violate the constitution and serve as a pretext to liquidate the institutions established by the elections.”

Kabila has met several Western diplomats and expressed his displeasure with Tshisekedi’s government which he accused of placing him under surveillance. The intelligence agency, the Agence Nationale de Renseignement (ANR), reportedly watches his every move.

In order to travel out of the country, Kabila seeks for travel permission from Jean Herve Mbiosha Mbelu, the chief of the intelligence agency, which makes the former president uncomfortable, realizing that he is under siege.

Regarding the upcoming elections in December, Kabila has revealed to several foreign diplomats and regional leaders that Tshisekedi will not allow the elections to take place.

Without reforming the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court, the former president believes that in the current state, the two bodies are not capable of organizing free and fair elections.

Kabila is also troubled by Tshisekedi’s poor relations with neighboring countries in the region and the growing isolation of DRC on the international scene.

According to sources, Kabila has - through his allies - reached out to regional leaders with the concern of the political instability in DRC caused by Tshisekedi which may plunge the country into a new crisis. He sees the government army (FARDC) as weak and disorganized, with no capacity to win the war against M23.

Instead of solving the crisis, Tshisekedi created militias like Wazalendo - and supplied them with arms - whose presence has caused more insecurity in the east of the country.

Despite the fact that the East Africa Community Regional Forces (EACRF) managed to bring relative peace, Tshisekedi is not happy as the force refused to fight M23, which was his hope of winning the war.

Tshisekedi therefore, grudgingly continues to make short extensions of the EACRF mandate so that in the end, he can send them packing and replace them with militias and foreign mercenaries who will serve his political interests, regardless of the violence that the move is likely to cause.

By breaking his silence to the international community and reaching out to his political allies and regional leaders, questions are being asked whether Kabila who still has influence among politicians and high ranking military officers is likely to influence a coup d'état to remove Tshisekedi, as witnessed in countries like Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon.