Where is Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi? It has been almost a week since the head of state appeared in public, sparking speculation and confusion. Sunday April 7, the presidency indicated that the Congolese leader was traveling: “ traveling abroad for urgent matters “, indicated its spokesperson Tina Salama. Since this communication, no information has circulated, which has made Kinshasa talk.
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It all starts with a double hiccup during the weekend. First act: Sunday April 7 in the morning, the Congolese Press Agency (ACP), the country’s official organ, publishes a message on its X account (formerly Twitter) to announce the president’s departure from the country for Paris. However, if President Félix Tshisekedi has well a trip planned to Paris, it’s not before the end of April. The ACP deletes its tweet, but the news of a move has already made the rounds on the Web.
Second act: still on April 7, French-speaking Belgian public television broadcasts its 1 p.m. news. The RTBF journalist who covers the commemorations in Kigali for the 30th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda announces live the presence of Félix Tshisekedi. In the context of tensions between Rwanda and the DRC, this information immediately created a buzz. However, on site, no other journalist is able to confirm it: no one has seen the Congolese president, and he does not appear in the images of the commemorations.
But the information becomes credible because of the erroneous message from the ACP in the morning. The communication services of the Congolese presidency are therefore requested. And it’s a denial that comes pretty quickly. Félix Tshisekedi’s spokesperson, Tina Salama, publishes the message on social networks: “ The President of the Republic Félix Tshisekedi did not travel to Kigali to participate in the commemoration of the genocide, contrary to what was broadcast on RTBF. Instead, he travels abroad for urgent matters related to the country. »
At 7 p.m., in its evening edition, RTBF backtracks and acknowledges an error on the part of its teams.
Presidential plane parked in Brussels sparks rumors
Almost a week later, the destination of the head of state still remains a mystery. This is confidential information which has not been communicated to the press. He has not appeared in public since Saturday evening, April 6, during the reconciliation ceremony of the Téké and Yaka communities, at the African Union city in Kinshasa. Tensions between the two communities were at the origin of a conflict in the province of Mai-Ndombé.
If its location remains secret, there is no more information on the ” urgent files » mentioned by Tina Salama in her message. Sources close to the presidency confirm that the president is neither in Paris nor in Kigali, that he is well and that he will return to Kinshasa this weekend of April 13-14.
The presidential plane, which can be tracked like all planes on sites specializing in tracking, has been parked in Brussels since Sunday April 7 in the afternoon. But this data should be taken with a grain of salt: it happens that his plane travels without the president, in particular to carry out maintenance or an overhaul. We cannot deduce from this that the head of state is necessarily nearby.
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