In an eagerly-awaited address, Joseph Kabila delivered a harsh diagnosis of the current situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while unveiling the broad outlines of a project to rebuild the country. The former president denounced the shortcomings of Félix Tshisekedi’s regime, before threatening to respond to the situation like a soldier.
The Senator for Life began by accusing his successor, Félix Tshisekedi, without mentioning him by name. “With a heavy heart, I note that barely six years later, this beautiful undivided inheritance, bequeathed to all our people, has been completely squandered by the man who was entrusted with it; that our country offers a most distressing spectacle; and that it arouses all the more despair among our people, and pity and mockery throughout the world, as the recklessness of its leaders offers no hope of recovery,” said Joseph Kabila Kabange.
The lifting of his immunities
The timing of this address is particularly sensitive. The day before, the Congolese Senate lifted Mr. Kabila’s immunity, paving the way for prosecution on serious charges: treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“A few days ago, following a simple rumor in the street or on social networks, about my alleged presence in Goma, where I will be going in the next few days, as announced elsewhere, the regime in power in Kinshasa took arbitrary decisions with disconcerting lightness, which testifies to the spectacular decline of democracy in our country,” he says.
Although he did not mention this issue directly, he did criticize the upper house of parliament and the legislative power as a whole.
His 12-point recovery plan
Against this backdrop, Joseph Kabila has proposed a national recovery program, based on twelve objectives, including ending the dictatorship, putting an end to the war, re-establishing the authority of the State, restoring democracy, national reconciliation, relaunching development and withdrawing foreign troops from Congolese territory. But he did not explain what status and means he would use to implement his plan, which he considers vital to the survival of the DRC as a country.
Kabila: the soldier who will take over the army?
Kabila is not taking kindly to his successor, and is making a series of thinly veiled threats against Félix Tshisekedi’s regime. First of all, he coaxed the Congolese military by saying that “Having trained them, commanded them and led them to the front, I know our soldiers. Scapegoats, today, for all the counter-performances recorded on the battlefield, they are not, however, intrinsically less good, less nationalistic or less loyal. What has changed in the meantime is the quality of their command and management.
He went on to clearly state his intention to do away with the current tenant of the “palais de la nation”, the official office of the Congolese head of state. “As a soldier, I swore to defend my country to the supreme sacrifice. Yesterday in power, today out of power, I remain more faithful than ever to this oath” says the former president of the DRC between 2001 and 2019.
This speech, seen as a turning point in Kabila’s posture, raises many questions about his future intentions. Does he want to return to being a central player on the Congolese political scene? Only time will tell.
Written By Akilimali Chomachoma