Recent news in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been marked by a tragic event: the assassination of the national deputy and honorary minister of transport, communication routes and opening up Chérubin Okende. His body was found in his Jeep Lexus Super Sport registered 8953AF/19 in front of the Kinshasa garage, near the General Management of the Société Pétrolière du Congo (SEP CONGO).
This assassination provokes strong reactions and raises many questions about the security and political stability of the country, just 5 months before the general elections. Trésor Kibangula, a former journalist and political analyst at the Congolese Research Institute, expresses his concern about this dangerous turn the country is taking on these two fronts.
According to him, the assassination of Chérubin Okende highlights the climate of generalized insecurity which reigns in Kinshasa and throughout the country. It also raises major concerns about the democratic exercise in the upcoming elections and questions their credibility. How can we hope for peaceful elections when political actors, such as this opponent and national deputy, are killed in such a violent way? This tragedy fuels psychosis within the population and risks hindering the free expression of political actors.
Moïse Katumbi, leader of the Together for the Republic party, describes this assassination as “political”. Trésor Kibangula understands the anger and sadness of those close to him and stresses the importance of a truly independent and impartial investigation to shed light on this affair.
In a context already marked by political tensions and the arrests of opponents, this assassination aroused strong reactions within Congolese public opinion. Some see it as an attempt to eliminate the political opponents of Moïse Katumbi, presidential candidate next December. Trésor Kibangula believes that this hypothesis must be taken into account in the analysis of the situation.
Faced with this disturbing situation, it is essential that the judiciary carry out a thorough and transparent investigation, in order to do justice to Chérubin Okende and to preserve the credibility of the upcoming elections. The Democratic Republic of Congo is going through a critical period, where security and political stability are under threat