Precarious solution to the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The chronic instability that characterises the recent history of the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) - which has not yet overcome the trauma inherited from the tyranny of colonial times and Leopold II - has overcome the crisis that arose some time ago within the coalition government formed by the FCC parties of the former president, Joseph Kabila, and the CACH, of his successor and former friend Felix Tshisekedi, the current head of state.
Kabila, son of President Lauren Kabila who overthrew the dictatorship of Mobutu Seco and was assassinated in his office, whom he succeeded immediately after the elections, which he prolonged as long as he could two years ago, retired to tend his agricultural farm on the outskirts of Kinshasa. Cultivating land and raising livestock was his hobby, he said at the time. But it soon became clear that he was still suffering from the virus of politics and that his retirement at the age of 50 had not been metabolised.
Not so much he, but his fanatical supporters and the party he heads, practically from the moment Tshisekedi took office, began to complicate his performance in a constant attempt to continue defending his influence and interference in governance. The situation in the DRC, meanwhile, is complicated: its extensive territory continues to be the scene of guerrilla warfare and continuous clashes with the army, which is incapable of controlling them. Divisions within the armed forces, meanwhile, are always a cause for concern.
In day-to-day politics, economic hardship is compounded by epidemics and a shortage of resources to deal with them: there are still pockets of Ebola and the coronavirus is spreading throughout the country, leaving hundreds of people dead every day without the government being able to do anything to maintain strict measures to prevent contagion. The difficulties have failed to provide the government with a moment's respite.
The crisis, which had been worsening in recent months, led a group of MPs to table a motion of censure and impeachment against the prime minister, Silvestre Ilunga, which was defeated by 367 votes out of 500 in parliament. The motion gave Ilunga 48 hours to resign and leave office.
Ilunga initially rejected his removal, threatened to entrench himself in office and escalate the conflict, but thanks to the intervention of some influential party members, and perhaps Kabila himself, he eventually relented on Friday, leaving President Tshisekedi free to appoint a new head of government.
In the wait and amidst all kinds of speculation, the precarious parenthesis that has opened up remains latent pending Tshisekedi's decision and the pacts he is trying to reach, and the tension that is evident both in political circles and on the streets, where the violence that is fuelling the exaltation has forced the forces of law and order to intervene, has not been spared. Several injured people have had to be hospitalised.
In the meantime, it is difficult to clarify the real reasons for the dissent. Many attribute it to general discontent. The country is rich in natural resources and offers conditions to improve its prosperity. Corruption inherited from the Mobutu era is still rampant at all levels, and political clashes in the struggle for power are compounded by rival conflicts throughout the country.