French President Emmanuel Macron reminded President Felix Tshisekedi on Saturday that his victory was negotiated.
As part of a tour of Central Africa which began in Gabon on Wednesday, the French president was in Kinshasa yesterday.
President Macron participated held a press briefing with Tshisekedi in which they both the diplomatic words and a engaged in an exchange of accusations over the war in the east.
The exchange is unusual. Surprising even. Far from the diplomatic language, agreed and polished, used in such circumstances.
“We know the electoral context. We know the electoral context”, repeated Mr. Macron twice, responding to a question from a journalist about the formula used in early 2019 by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, describing it as “compromise to the ‘African’ during the investiture as President of the Republic of Congo when he had not actually won the election.
It was Martin Fayulu according to the most reliable independent observers, including the Church, who won with 62% of the vote. Embarrassed by this reminder, Mr. Tshisekedi then cut off Macron who could not develop his point and diverted the conversation, evoking the Nairobi Agreement. Too late. For him the damage is done.
Cruel fact, the words of the French president who publicly recognizes that Mr. Tshisekedi was not elected but appointed by his predecessor follow those, as clear, made a few months ago on this subject by a certain … Paul Kagame, but also to those of Corneille Naanga, the former president of the CENI.
During this same press conference, Emmanuel Macron also reminded the Congolese President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known for having an unfortunate tendency to shift blame, including in the conflict in the east saying.
“Since 1994, it’s not France’s fault and I’m sorry to say it in such harsh terms, you haven’t been able to restore the sovereignty of your country. Neither military nor security nor administrative of your country. It is also a reality. We must not look for culprits outside , “said the French president. And to insist: “It is not France that will provide the solution” .
“Félix Tshisekedi did not manage by his action, considered very insufficient, to make people forget his non-election.”
Tshisekedi, on his part, said that the situation in the east of the country, some parts of which are partly occupied by the M23, could justify a postponement of the presidential election.
For opponents like many observers, it is only a pretext – one more excuse, his opponents will say – to allow Mr. Tshisekedi to cling to the presidential chair in which he should never have settle if the verdict of the polls had been respected in January 2019.
VIDEO OF PART OF THE HEATED EXCHANGES
