DRC President Tshisekedi’s fight with Kabila is critical for electric vehicle industry
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to visit South Africa this weekend. Back home in the DRC, President Felix Tshisekedi is working to distance himself from former president Joseph Kabila. In a few strategic moves Tshisekedi has removed Kabila's allies from key positions of power over the last two years. His struggle to loosen Kabila's grip on the country has been arduous and Tshisekedi has been open about his frustration, speaking his mind in parliament. – Melani Nathan
The 23-year hold of the Kabila family on the levers of power in the Democratic Republic of Congo is slipping
(Bloomberg Opinion) — President Felix Tshisekedi's alliance with former leader Joseph Kabila to win 2018 elections in a contested vote is fraying and he's acting to diminish the influence of his predecessor. At stake is control of a nation whose mineral endowment is key to the future of the electric-vehicle industry.
"Despite my best efforts, the sacrifices I've made and the humiliations I've tolerated, it hasn't been enough to make this coalition work smoothly," Tshisekedi told parliament this week.
Tshisekedi is frustrated. Since the election, supporters of Kabila have used parliament to block the president's agenda, leaving him with less than he wanted to show for his two years in office.
He's rearranged military leadership, named judges to the nation's top court and appointed a new board to state copper and cobalt-miner Gecamines. His biggest win came last week, when his supporters managed to remove the speaker of the national assembly, Jeanine Mabunda, a key Kabila ally.
Next to be targeted is the ex-president's influence within the executive, with Tshisekedi banking on plans for a new parliamentary majority. If successful, a potential government reshuffle could see the downfall of another Kabila ally, Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga.
But Kabila is unlikely to go quietly. He succeeded his assassinated father in 2001 and extended his control of sub-Saharan Africa's largest country by land-area — throughout its provinces and business sectors.
His allies — including his brother — still control governorships and parliaments in Congo's main mining region and most of the other provinces. Kabila still has access to resources. The question is how he'll use them.