The tension was palpable in Kinshasa in May 2023. Demonstrations by political opponents had been harshly repressed by the police, thus weakening the image of President Félix Tshisekedi and his policy centered on “the people first”. . In this tense context, the leader of the Together for the Republic party, Moïse Katumbi and his right-hand man, Salomon Idi Kalonda Della, had decided to break camp in Kinshasa, certainly not foreseeing such a turnaround.
It was at N’djili International Airport that the twist took place. As Moïse Katumbi was about to board his private plane, a pick-up appeared with armed men, some in military uniform. The men took Salomon Idi Kalonda Della and brutally arrested him, hooded in less than three minutes. The video of this arrest was quickly broadcast by the opponents’ communication network and there was general indignation in political and media circles.
Moïse Katumbi immediately reacted by denouncing the “arbitrary and illegal arrest” of his adviser, and asking for his release. Salomon Idi Kalonda Della, also special political adviser to Moïse Katumbi, was known to be a discreet but efficient man, taking part in all political or diplomatic negotiations involving Moïse Katumbi and Joseph Kabila.
This arrest marked a turning point in Congolese political life and was widely commented on on social networks and in the media. If it cast a shadow over the political future of the DRC, it also showed the solidarity and mobilization of the population as well as political actors, in the defense of human rights and democracy.
Since this incident, numerous articles have been published on Fatshimètre’s blog, covering different aspects of the political and social life of the DRC, such as the extraordinary summit of the East African Community, the food situation or again the appointment of Julienne Lusenge as deputy coordinator of the national monitoring mechanism for the Addis Ababa framework agreement.
These articles bear witness to our blog’s desire to cover Congolese news in all its diversity, with a critical and constructive eye. We hope in this way to contribute to the understanding of the complex situation in the DRC and to the promotion of essential values such as freedom of expression, respect for human rights and democracy.