Regional
INTERNAL STRUGGLES
DRC: Clan war within President Félix Tshisekedi’s party
Even
though DRC's President Félix Tshisekedi is preoccupied with his duties as head
of state, a battle is raging for leadership of his party. The arrest of key
UPDS member Victor Wakwenda following his attacks on Secretary-general Augustin
Kabuya once again highlights the rivalries within the party. One year to the
presidential elections, can the UPDS get its house in order?
Since
Jean-Marc Kabund-a-Kabund suddenly went from being interim president of the
Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (UDPS) to a prisoner in Makala,
the presidential party’s most powerful leaders know that the fall can be
painful.
This
time, Victor Wakwenda, until then president of the Convention Démocratique du
Parti (CDP), a kind of party parliament, learned this lesson the hard way.
On
21 November, the septuagenarian was arrested and detained for 24 hours in
Kinshasa’s central prison. He is accused of “spreading false rumours” after
declaring that “the country [was] badly managed”, according to information
provided by his lawyer.
The
UDPS disciplinary commission also stripped him of his functions and expelled
him from the party.
Attack and retaliation
These
sanctions were introduced after several days of arm wrestling with Augustin
Kabuya, head of the general secretariat of Félix Tshisekedi’s party, one of the
three bodies that run the UDPS along with the CDP and the electoral commission.
It all began on 12 November when the four UDPS federations in the city of
Kinshasa met around the CDP.
Wakwenda
then took the floor to criticise Kabuya’s management. “The dysfunctions are
such that even the letters [sent by] the party’s internal structures are not
followed up,” he said, announcing Kabuya’s removal from the post of
secretary-general.
A
few days later, demonstrations against Wakwenda were held outside the UDPS
headquarters in Limete.
I
don’t know if it’s a problem of age or mental health. The gentleman [Victor
Wakwenda] has opened a breach that even he will not be able to close
Projectiles,
burnt tyres and Molotov cocktails were thrown as militants demanded Kabuya’s
departure.
The
response was swift. “I don’t know if it’s a problem of age or mental health.
The gentleman [Victor Wakwenda] has opened a breach that even he will not be
able to close,” said Kabuya.
Even
though Tshisekedi, the president of the UDPS, is preoccupied with his duties as
head of state, a battle for leadership is in fact being fought within the
party.
Tense relations
This
is indeed a new crisis for this party, which is torn by internal rivalries and
divergent ambitions.
After
years of opposition, the UDPS seems to have failed to become a real party of
government, four years after its accession to power.
Moreover,
the UDPS often has tense relations with its political partners.
From
Joseph Kabila’s party, at the time of their alliance, to Moïse Katumbi’s party,
which is no longer a real ally, through Vital Kamerhe and Jean-Pierre Bemba’s formations,
“the UDPS wants everyone to line up behind it, the opposite exposes you to
insults and slander”, says a political partner leader.
This is a worrying state of affairs as Tshisekedi is a candidate in the presidential election scheduled for December 2023 and is counting on his political machine for the campaign period.
Source:
www.theafricareport.com