The arrest of army general Christian Tshiwewe Songesha, former chief of staff of the FARDC and military adviser to President Félix Tshisekedi, has now been confirmed by the presidential party itself. Augustin Kabuya, Secretary General of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), lifted the veil on this affair. During a political morning organised on Tuesday 15 July, in front of a crowd of militants, he claimed that the former head of the army was involved in a plot to physically eliminate the Head of State.

The case is causing quite a stir. Since General Tshiwewe’s arrest, which has still not been officially confirmed by the judicial authorities.

“He plotted with his entourage to kill the Head of State, a family man, a grandfather, the first institution of the Republic, and he does not want to be held to account. That’s taking people for slaves,” said Augustin Kabuya.

A few days earlier, FARDC spokesman Major General Sylvain Ekenge stressed in a statement that the disciplinary measures taken in the army had no ethnic basis. “These officers are being arrested for serious breaches of military discipline. “. He added: “The army remains committed to rigour, integrity and respect for the law. “

No official statement has yet been made by the Presidency on the substance of the case. President Tshisekedi, who had made General Tshiwewe one of his most trusted confidants by entrusting him with the management of the FARDC general staff, has not yet commented publicly on the accusations of plotting made against him.

A member of the Republican Guard for several years, Tshiwewe has risen through the ranks in the shadow of successive regimes.

It was under the Tshisekedi regime that General Christian Tshiwewe rose through the ranks to become Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo in October 2022, replacing Lieutenant-General Célestin Mbala, who had retired. He was replaced by Jules Banza in December 2024. Since then, he has remained military advisor to the Head of State, occupying a strategic position in the security apparatus. His proximity to the President, his role in strategic operations and his meteoric rise through the military ranks made him a central figure in the security system.

To be continued

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma