The Interview Felix Tshisekedi President of the Democratic Republic of

The Interview Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: "Presidential elections will take place in 2023"

Published on: 09/23/2022 – 23:27

The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo says he wants to launch a “cry of truth” and put an end to hypocrisy by denouncing on the United Nations platform “Rwanda’s direct military aggression” against his country. He claims to have relayed the same message during the interview he conducted in New York with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron. He also touches on the election calendar and reiterates that the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2023 will be held on time.

Promises had been made that troops from the M23 rebel group would be withdrawn from the town of Bunagana. But he adds that there is no exact timetable. He called Rwanda’s claims that the FDLR’s Hutu Rwandan rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were a threat a “false excuse”.

He explains that the East Africa Regional Military Response Force has started to be deployed in the east of the country to fight against armed groups. He believes the state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu provinces is bringing results.

Finally, he believes that the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2023 will take place on time. He accuses a “black hand” of operating in secret to destabilize the country and disrupt the electoral process. He points out that the recent arrest of General Philémon Yav is linked to destabilization operations, particularly in the west of the country. He refutes any intention to block the elections by putting relatives at the head of the Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court. He is confident of being re-elected, he says.