The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi has survived an abortive attempted coup in the capital Kinshasa which the DRC military says was thwarted by their gallant soldiers and shifted blame to Congolese and unnamed foreign fighters.
DR Congo army spokesperson Brig General Sylavin Ekenge said on the state-run broadcaster RTNC TV that several suspects have been detained and the “situation is now under control”.
His statement comes hours after armed men attacked the house of Vital Kamerhe, the former chief of staff and close ally to President Tshisekedi early today morning.
The abortive coup comes against the backdrop of heated debate of intended constitutional review process being propagated by president Tshisekedi saying he wants a “dignified” constitution.
Although president Tshisekedi announced his push for constitutional review while on a European tour at the beginning of May 2024, it has become a serious concern among the opposition and civil society.
When asked by Congolese in Belgium about a possible revision of the Constitution, he replied that “we need a constitution worthy of our country”.
Witnesses say a group of about 20 assailants in army uniform attacked the residence and an exchange of gunfire followed.
Local media reports said the assailants were members of the New Zaire Movement linked to formerly exiled politician Christian Malanga.
Two guards and an assailant were killed in the attack on Kamerhe’s house, his spokesman and the Japanese ambassador said in posts on X, formerly Twitter.
President Tshisekedi has not made any public comment on the situation so far.
Japan’s ambassador in the Congolese capital has warned nationals not to go out.
The recently re-elected Head of State announced his intention to “set up a commission to reflect on a new constitution”, arguing that the Congolese law put in place in 2006 was a “post-conflict” law.
President Tshisekedi complained, among other things, about the slowness in setting up political institutions such as the Bureau of the National Assembly and the government. The institutions are still not in place more than five months after the 2023 elections which gave him a second and final term of office, ending in 2028.
Some opponents already fear that he could set his term count back to zero, seeking a fresh mandate under the new supreme law if amended.
Christian Mwando, who heads the opposition parliamentary group in the National Assembly, said the announcement is “an attempt at a third term”.
“We cannot accept it…It’s a total lack of leadership. President Tshisekedi must take his responsibilities for the Republic and not always put the blame on others or the texts. The texts are clear and are good. With a Stalinist majority, he should have put the country in order but he did not. He has no right to blame anyone, not even the constitution.” Mwando said.
“Tshisekedi should read the Constitution carefully and understand that the installation of the prime minister and government can in no way be blocked by the Law, especially in the current context of a single political bloc with a majority at all legislative levels and a corrupt electoral commission, contrary to what he claims”, said Devos Kitoko, Secretary General of the Ecidé (Commitment to Citizenship and Development) party of the opposition leader Martin Fayulu.
In a statement, Fayulu’s party said, “Tshisekedi’s manoeuvres are aimed at illegitimately maintaining himself in power, which he obtained by an electoral hold-up in 2018 and by a sham of elections in 2023. He is also concealing his inability to preserve the territorial integrity of the DRC in the face of the M23 rebels”.
Much of French-speaking Africa has seen the debate about changing their constitutions and extending the terms of office of heads of State. Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, the Central African Republic and Guinea have not escaped this debate.
