A decisive day is looming in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a march scheduled for Saturday, May 20 in Kinshasa. This demonstration, which brings together the opposition, aims to denounce the high cost of living, the growing insecurity, particularly in the capital, as well as the planning of electoral fraud. The four leaders of the Opposition – Martin Fayulu, Augustin Matata, Moïse Katumbi and Delly Sesanga – mobilized the militants for the success of this action initially planned for May 13th.
Faced with this mobilization, the UDPS youth league also called for a march for this same Saturday, in order to support the actions carried out by the Head of State for the restoration of peace and the recovery of the economy. national. However, according to the opposition, this appeal by the UDPS is no different from the strategies used by previous regimes.
In this context, the opposition seized the office of the International Criminal Court and the Mission of the Organization for the Stabilization of the DRC (Monusco) in order to deploy their agents during the demonstration. A strategy aimed at identifying all the police blunders that could occur during this activity.
The country is thus going through a period of unrest and insecurity, as evidenced by the recent events in the province of Bunia where 530 civilians were killed in six months. Civil society is also pushing for the return of civil administration after the end of the state of siege. But despite calls for a return to order, the fight against armed groups remains a major challenge for the Congolese authorities.
At the economic level, the DRC is not left behind: after the dissolution of the DRC Social Fund, humanitarian and development projects are likely to be in danger, which could cost up to a billion dollars in funding. The World Bank has also suspended disbursements for three projects in the DRC because of this decision.
Despite the economic and security challenges, the visit of the quadripartite mission to the special economic zone of Musienene has made it possible to draw up a positive assessment for the economic development of the region. Finally, a bill was presented to better regulate the exercise of the right to strike in the DRC.
Awaiting the opposition demonstration scheduled for this Saturday, all eyes are on Kinshasa, where tensions remain high