Pastor Mukuna, known as the spiritual leader of the Christian Assembly of Kinshasa (ACK), launched his own political party called the Christian Party for the Socio-economic Recovery of Congo. The announcement was made during a ceremony held at the headquarters of his church in front of his faithful. According to Bishop Mukuna, this new political party is a member of the Sacred Union and aims at the socio-economic recovery of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 2018, Pastor Mukuna was a strong supporter of former President Joseph Kabila’s heir apparent, Emmanuel Ramazani. However, after the advent of Félix Tshisekedi, the spiritual leader of the ACK left Joseph Kabila to join the son of historical opponent Étienne Tshisekedi, in an attempt to help redress the country’s economic situation.
The Christian Party for the Socio-economic Recovery of Congo was created to bring a new voice to Congolese politics. As a member of the Sacred Union, the political party aims to work with other parties to ensure the socio-economic recovery of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The creation of this new political party highlights the challenges that the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing in terms of socio-economic development. It will be interesting to follow future political developments to assess how Pastor Mukuna’s party will participate in the electoral process and influence the political future of the country.
In addition, the week was loaded with political news in the Democratic Republic of Congo: several peaceful marches were postponed by the opposition to protest against the high cost of living and the chaotic electoral process. The NGO Ipas has also been mobilized to provide reproductive health care and safe abortions to displaced women in Goma in the face of the current humanitarian crisis in the country. The United States also called for a consensual audit of the electoral register.
From an economic point of view, several initiatives aimed at boosting the development of the provinces have been launched, such as the allocation of retrocession budgets. The Democratic Republic of Congo is also inspired by the Botswana model to restructure its diamond sector.
Finally, President Félix Tshisekedi encourages Botswanan investors to seize business opportunities that arise in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which reflects his desire to boost the country’s economic activity.