Congo-Kinshasa has been shaken in recent days by the arrest of the main adviser to the opponent Moïse Katumbi, Salomon Kalonda, for “undermining state security”. An arrest which provoked many reactions and which risks weakening the former governor of Katanga, presidential candidate in December.
Congolese authorities have advanced several charges against Salomon Kalonda, including illegal possession of a 9mm handgun during recent suppressed protests, contact with officers of the M23/RDF terrorist movement and Rwandan officials, and attempts destabilization with a view to overthrowing President Félix Tshisekedi in favor of a Katangese national.
These accusations were immediately rejected by Salomon Kalonda’s lawyers, who denounce political manipulation by the Congolese authorities. Since his arrest, searches have been carried out in the residences of Moïse Katumbi and Salomon Kalonda in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.
This event takes place in a context of political tension in the DRC, a few months before the presidential elections next December. Opponents of President Félix Tshisekedi are under increasing pressure from the power in place, in particular with demonstrations banned or repressed.
It is important to remember that Congo-Kinshasa is regularly shaken by violence and political crises, aggravated by various factors such as corruption and poverty. The presidential elections next December are therefore crucial for the future of the country, but the prospect of their peaceful organization is darkening day by day, as evidenced by this controversial arrest of Salomon Kalonda