Owusu on Africa: Felix Tshisekedi has the political capital to make peace in the region: it needs to be reciprocated

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

Last week the Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) validated the re-election of Felix Tshisekedi.

For an election that had logistical challenges and other irregularities, such endorsement from the top court reinforces the legitimacy of the victor. Early on, some opposition candidates elected not to challenge the results in court.

The good news about these developments is the fact that the DR Congo is challenged with several security issues that do not need political chaos to manage. Among these are some inter-state tensions, especially with Rwanda.

Even though interstate conflicts in Africa are not as common as domestic conflicts, the DR Congo has not been fortunate in avoiding them.

Inter-state tensions

Earlier this week, it was reported that at least one Congolese security officer had been killed by Rwandan forces within Rwanda. While the specific sequence of events that led to the incident remains unclear, it communicates an escalation of tensions between the two states.

Usually, many political actors use inter-state tensions to rally support at home. This becomes more imperative before elections. Consequently, before the polls in the DR Congo, sabre rattling between Kinshasa and Kigali. At some points, it has gone beyond words.

The two countries accuse each other of supporting rebels against their states.

This notwithstanding, the re-election of Tshisekedi to start a new 5-year term grants him the political capital and space to make peace. While this is not a given, positive gestures from the other side could bring out the best in Kinshasa in respect of peace.

A few days after Tshisekedi won the elections, a 50-year-old dispute between Angola and the DR Congo over oil resources in the Lower Congo Basin was resolved. Despite efforts in the early 2000s to negotiate towards a solution, talks dragged on. Early January 2024, the two countries finally agreed to jointly own a major oil block.

Admittedly, the relations between Angola and DR Congo, since the end of the Cold War and post-Mobutu, have been relatively better. This notwithstanding, if other countries send the right signals to Kinshasa, it is more likely relations could improve significantly.

Way forward?

With the vast resources, a huge population and some political predictability of the DR Congo neighboring states that position themselves strategically could reap benefits in a win-win relationship. This includes Rwanda which has done impressively well in the past years. It can gain from peaceful relations with its neighbor.

Yes, Paul Kagame is also seeking another term in elections this year. However, it is trite that Kagame does not need to maneuver any complex domestic political environment to win the next elections.

Give peace a chance.

Fidel Amakye Owusu is an International Relations and Security Analyst. He is an Associate at the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa and has previously hosted an International Affairs program with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He is passionate about Diplomacy and realizing Africa’s global potential and how the continent should be viewed as part of the global collective.