The Democratic Republic of Congo has been facing a tense political situation since the arrest of Salomon Kalonda Della, special adviser to Moïse Katumbi, a leading political figure and potential candidate for the next presidential election.
According to Moïse Moni Della, president of the Conservateurs de la nature et des Démocrats de Katumbi party, the arrest of his biological brother is akin to a kidnapping and aims to weaken Katumbi’s party, which is on the rise. Salomon Kalonda Della is a right arm of Katumbi and represents the latter’s party in the Kivu region. He was arrested at N’Djili airport as he was preparing to accompany Katumbi to Lubumbashi.
The exact reasons for his arrest are not yet known, but some sources mention the fact that he was enlisted while holding Belgian nationality. Salomon Kalonda Della had however recovered his Congolese passport confiscated under Kabila in 2019, with the help of Moïse Katumbi.
This arrest is part of a context of growing political tensions in the DRC, with the extension for the 49th time of the state of siege in the east of the country in the face of the security crisis, and the mobilization of the Congolese Secular Coordination Committee against Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Republic.
The international community also has its eyes on the DRC, with the state visit to China aimed at finding new partners for the country’s development, and the ICC’s mission to end sexual violence.
Faced with these multiple and complex challenges, the situation in the DRC remains worrying, particularly in the North Kivu region where the persistent challenges of the war against the M23 rebel movement are felt. The Congolese population hopes for concrete actions to improve their daily lives and guarantee lasting political stability