President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has appointed the country’s first female prime minister, fulfilling a campaign promise and making an important step towards the formation of a new government after being reelected late last year.
FILE - Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi reviews an honor guard during his swearing-in ceremony for a second term in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. Tshisekedi appointed the country’s first female prime minister on Monday, April 1, fulfilling a campaign promise and making an important step towards the formation of a new government after being reelected late last year.
Former planning minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka will step into the role at a time of worsening violence in the country’s mineral-rich east, which borders Rwanda. The long-running conflictTuluka promised to work towards peace and development in her first speech following her appointment on state television. Still, it could be months before a new government is formed as the process requires intensive negotiations with the many political parties.
“My thoughts go out to the east and to all corners of the country, which today are facing conflicts with enemies who are sometimes hidden,” she said, referring to the conflict that involves many armed groups including some believed to be backed by Rwanda’s military. “I’m thinking of all these people, and my heart goes out to them.
Bintou Keita, the top U.N. envoy to Congo, told the U.N. Security Council last week that the prominent rebel group known as, Tshisekedi has blamed neighboring Rwanda for providing military support to the rebels. Rwanda denies the claim but U.N. experts have said there is substantial evidence of their forces in Congo.also said Rwanda should withdraw troops and surface-to-air missile systems from eastern Congo and criticized M23, calling it a “Rwanda-backed” armed group.
The Rwandan Foreign Ministry said last month that the country’s troops are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a “dramatic military build-up” near the border.
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