A scheme to assassinate opposition Ensemble pour la Republique leader Moise Katumbi is underway with President Felix Tshisekedi allegedly actively monitoring the operations led by his trusted soldier and tribesman General John Tshibangu.
Part of the scheme is expected to be initiated in Kongo Central where Katumbi is due to visit today. The former Katanga Governor has made visits to west Congo and in Grand Katanga where multitudes have turned out at his gatherings.
The development has not gone down well with President Tshisekedi who has attempted to deploy every move to stop Katumbi from contesting the December 20, 2023 presidential elections and now remains with the last and only option – eliminate the opponent.
Over the past few hours, tension has been rising in Kongo Central following the announcement that Katumbi will visit Moanda and Matadi.
Through Deputy Prime Minister for Interior Affairs Peter Kazadi, Tshisekedi has dispatched military reinforcement to the area Katumbi is visiting to supervise and monitor the tour.
On the night of September 25, General Israel Kantu Bakulu was instructed to leave Matadi and be stationed in Moanda. General Placide Nyembo, the provincial commissioner of the Kongo Central Police, had been assigned the responsibility of supervising the arrival of Katumbi in Moanda and ensuring order is respected there.
President Tshisekedi is shaken by Katumbi’s increasing popularity ahead of the election. He attempted to stop him using the Tshiani Law and Pascal Beverraggi but all the machinations have so far failed.
Sources say the assassination of Ensemble spokesperson Chérubin Okende on July 13, 2023 was a dress rehearsal carried out by an elite commando unit of the presidential guard.
“The life of Moïse Katumbi is in danger. The triumphant tours of the Katangese leader to the north of Katanga, in the provinces of Equateur and Kwilu has awakened the vigilance of those in power. In all provinces, Moïse Katumbi is welcomed as the savior of the Nation by the populations.
Three months before the elections, Tshisekedi’s victory is becoming more and more uncertain. In the eyes of the supporters of the Head of State, the elimination of Katumbi is one of the possible scenarios,” the source narrates.
For several months, General John Tshibangu who supervises the elite commandos which is like the unit once known as the Night Owls that brought terror to Kinshasa at the end of Mobutu’s reign has been orchestrating a plan to silence the opposition.
Tshisekedi thought the arrests of Katumbi’s lieutenants, Salomon Kalonda – the special advisor – and Mike Mukebayi, a national deputy, will neutralize the opposition leader.
On the contrary, Katumbi has continued to crisscrossing the country attracting ever-increasing crowds.
Kongo Central could be the scene of a new sequence in Congolese political life. With Katumbi due to arrive today, the regime could activate its battalion in training in Kitona. That’s a few kilometers from Moanda where 10,000 young recruits are based.
The recruits were initially meant to be transported to North Kivu to launch an offensive against Rwanda but may also be used for domestic dirty work. In Katanga, 15,000 other recruits are also completing their training.
In Moanda, the 10, 000 are being trained by about forty instructors from Russia who were hired to focus on the training of the Republican Guard. They are accommodated at a guest house on Avenue Gescom. These mercenaries work closely with Congolese army officers. In the city, their strong accent betrays their origin. In Moanda, the presence of Wagner linked instructors has spread like wildfire.
Congo will go to the elections in December but Tshisekedi is not popular to win and wants to find ways of cheating his way back in office by hook or crook even if it means killing his opponents like he did with Okende.
