Sama Lukonde Kyenge, head of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s state mining company, is the new DRC Prime Minister (credit: facebook.com/pg/samalukonde)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
President Felix Tshisekedi has named the head of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s state mining company Sama Lukonde Kyenge as the DRC’s new prime minister. It was the latest move by Tshisekedi to purge the government of loyalists to former DRC president Joseph Kabila. Last month, the DR Congo Parliament voted to remove pro-Kabila prime minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba as part of a power struggle in the Sub-Sahara African nation. The move by Parliament last month effectively brought down the the DR Congo government and opened the door for President Tshisekedi to appoint his loyalists to occupy key ministries. So now with the appointment on Monday of Mr. Kyenge, who is the director general of mining company Gécamines, and close confident of the president, this solidifies his grip on the government to advance his political and economic agenda for DRC with little opposition.
#RDC 15.02.2021|#PalaisdelaNation
Quelques minutes après la publication de l'ordonnance le nommant Premier ministre, Jean-michel SAMA LUKONDE a été reçu par le Président de la république Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi. pic.twitter.com/wIfixw4yug— Présidence RDC 🇨🇩 (@Presidence_RDC) February 15, 2021
(credit: Wikipedia) Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi
Last year, President Tshisekedi began a campaign to purge loyalists to Kabila who ruled DRC nearly 20 years. On Dec. 6, 2020, President Tshisekedi abruptly ended the power sharing agreement with the pro-Kabila supporters. Many view the former president Kabila as a dangerous threat to the country’s stability as he still retains support in the military, politics, and business circles. Kabila also retains influence over the country’s security services.
Kyenge is the current CEO of Gécamines, the DRCs’ largest public mining company
The new Prime Minister Kyenge is 43-years-old, and has served in various government roles before, including as National Deputy, Minister of Youth and Sports, and more recently Director General of Gécamines, a commodity trading and mining company headquartered in Lubumbashi. La Générale des Carrières et des Mines was founded in 1966 and a successor to the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga.
Mega deal between Gécamines and Chinese state-owned company CNMC for one of DRC’s flagship copper mines could be leaving the country short-changed
An $800 million deal for one of Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) flagship copper mines risks leaving the country short-changed, Global Witness reveals. In violation of DRC’s mining law, key details of the mega deal signed between DRC’s state-owned miner, Gécamines, and the China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group (CNMC) remain unpublished – GLOBAL WITNESS
The Tshisekedi-Kabila split affirms the power of incumbency at the expense of the rule of law – Institute for Security Studies
“The latest developments in the country illustrate several trends in Congolese and African politics. They show how political actors invest more resources in the conquest of power than exercising it legitimately and effectively,” write PAUL-SIMON HANDY AND FÉLICITÉ DJILO in Institute for Security Studies.
The ISS article continues:
“The DRC’s main party is neither that of Kabila or Tshisekedi – but rather political opportunism. Getting rid of Kabila’s influence by poaching his supporters cannot be the endgame for Tshisekedi and Congolese political stakeholders. Congolese citizens must ensure that the ongoing changes lay the groundwork for better public scrutiny and an accountable executive. This includes constitutional requirements for decentralising power. Otherwise the current political reconfiguration could result in more of the same at their expense.”
