Assassination of Congolese Minister Chérubin Okende Senga: a climate of tension persists between government and opposition
More than a week after the shocking assassination of the Congolese Minister of Transport and spokesperson for the Together for the Republic party, Chérubin Okende Senga, the government and the opposition continue to blame each other for this crime.
In an official statement published yesterday, the party Ensemble pour la République, led by opponent Moïse Katumbi Chapwe, reacted strongly to comments made by certain members of the government, in particular the Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi Kadima, who drew parallels between this assassination and that of the former Head of State Laurent Désiré Kabila in 2001.
The party denounced these “dubious” comparisons and pointed to the disturbing similarities between the assassination of Chérubin Okende and that of Floribert Chebeya, a human rights defender killed in 2010. Both victims were invited to public institutions before disappearing and being found dead in suspicious circumstances.
Together for the Republic has firmly affirmed that it is not a simple matter of communication, but rather of the search for truth and justice to identify the perpetrators and sponsors of this assassination. The party thus questioned the government’s desire to conceal the truth and protect the culprits.
The controversy has also intensified around the role of the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, Firmin Mvonde Mambu, who has delivered contradictory statements on the case. The party Together for the Republic criticized the prosecutor for having divulged, in a tendentious way, preliminary elements of the investigation and for having violated the principle of the secrecy of the instruction.
In his defence, the prosecutor clarified his previous statements by admitting that he had used the conditional in his statements and by emphasizing that only the autopsy can determine the exact cause of death of Chérubin Okende. The results of this autopsy are eagerly awaited, as they may bring clarity to this troubling case.
As tensions persist between the government and the opposition, it is crucial to ensure the transparency of the investigation and to ensure that justice is served. The assassination of Chérubin Okende Senga deeply shook the country and it is essential to continue the investigations in an impartial manner in order to provide answers and prevent such events in the future.
Truth and justice are fundamental pillars of a democratic and stable society. It is therefore essential that all political actors mobilize to shed light on this assassination and to work together to build a more peaceful and prosperous Democratic Republic of the Congo