In a country where the political stage often doubles as a circus tent, December 2024 began with President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo)—starring in a new act. Chosen title was, ‘Divine Comedy: Prayers, Witch Doctors, and the Gospel of Scapegoating.’ Wait!
Speaking at a Catholic prayer gathering, Tshisekedi issued a clarion call—not for better governance or decisive leadership, mind you, but for divine intervention. In a melodramatic display of political piety, he made an extraordinary appeal–calling on the Church to organize prayer crusades across the DR Congo to summon a miracle to end the war in the east.
He said loudly; “I would like to ask you one thing, especially those of you who share the Catholic faith. If the Church, as the family of God, could organise prayers throughout the country, it could bring about a miracle, for example, the end of the war in the east of our country,” he said.
This would lead him to know—also demonstrate “that the Church does not support the rebellion…” He added, the prayers “could contribute to our sister Anuarite being canonised.”
Tshisekedi proclaimed, subtly suggesting that failure to convene such divine intercessions would imply ecclesiastical complicity in the ongoing conflict.
This dramatic moment marked an epiphany of sorts in Tshisekedi’s narrative arc. Amid the pageantry—he delivered a surprise twist, using the word “rebellion” to describe M23 instead of his usual “terrorists” or “foreign aggressors.”
For a man who has spent years blaming Rwanda for every pothole in Kinshasa and every gunshot in Goma, this shift was seismic. Recognising M23 as rebels, implicitly acknowledging their Congolese roots, marked a moment of rare lucidity.
Should there be a miracle in Luanda?
In a twist as miraculous as any biblical tale, President Tshisekedi is set to meet President Paul Kagame of Rwanda on December 15, 2024 in Luanda, Angola. For him the summit on Sunday could mean something!
The goal of the summit? According to the DR Congo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, it’s to secure “the departure of Rwandan troops.” The irony is rich, given that the Rwandan troops Tshisekedi government refers to, seem to exist more in his imagination than on Congolese soil.
This single-minded myth, propagated by Tshisekedi and his inner circle, is as baseless as it is convenient—a scapegoat to deflect attention from his administration’s failures.
It is a narrative designed to revitalize his domestic base while avoiding the uncomfortable truths of his government’s complicity in the chaos engulfing the eastern DR Congo.
This meeting comes as a sharp pivot for a leader whose words often outpace his thoughts. During the 2023 election campaign, Tshisekedi theatrically proclaimed that a meeting with Kagame would only happen in the afterlife.
Last April, in another moment of rhetorical abandon—he shifted the narrative, announcing that if he ever did meet Kagame, it would be to confront him as a “criminal” and declare, “enough is enough.”
