In an increasingly tense context in Kinshasa, a new confrontation is looming. The Ecidé and the Nouvel Élan, two major political parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo, find themselves in an explosive situation that could lead to a court confrontation.
Albert Mukubulundu, spokesman for Nouvel Élan, accuses Ecidé supporters of having ransacked their provincial headquarters in Masina, causing significant material damage on July 29, 2023. According to him, videos circulating on social networks show young men, supposedly Ecidé activists, throwing stones at the headquarters of their party shouting “thief… we don’t need you here. The Tshangu district belongs to Martin Fayulu and his resisters will take care of any other party that would come to establish its stronghold here.”
Faced with these accusations, Nouvel Élan is considering turning to justice if no amicable solution is found. Mukubulundu points out that the local authorities and the national police have already been informed of the situation, and he deplores the lack of supervision of Martin Fayulu’s activists. “Not having adequately supervised the procession to avoid any incident in this area which, however, had been declared neutral,” he laments.
In parallel, Mukubulundu calls for restraint from Nouvel Elan members: “the political leadership of Nouvel Elan asks all its members and supporters to remain calm and to reject any resort to the law of retaliation,” he asserts.
On its side, the Lamuka platform condemns the acts of vandalism directed against the headquarters of the Nouvel Elan party and promises an internal investigation to identify any possible involvement of political party activists members of the Lamuka platform to sanction accordingly to the group convention.
In this already electric climate, Lamuka also denounces a knife attack supposedly orchestrated by members of a ruling party during Martin Fayulu’s meeting.
These events bear witness to an escalation of political tensions in Kinshasa. It is feared that the situation may degenerate into a legal battle between Ecidé and Nouvel Élan, unless a peaceful solution is quickly found. It is essential that the leaders of these political parties take measures to defuse tensions and ensure everyone’s safety.
Féret-lumbu-Gédéon from Kinshasa.
