DRC: Sama Lukonde’s government inaugurated, what next?

The government of the Congolese Prime Minister, Sama Lukonde, has just been invested by the National Assembly. The countdown begins for the new team, which has a huge task ahead of it, less than three years before the end of Félix Tshisekedi’s mandate. Less than three years to convince.

As expected, the new Congolese Prime Minister, Sama Lukonde, was in front of the National Assembly on Monday to present to the deputies his government programme, an ambitious programme built around 4 sectors, 15 pillars, 65 axes and more than 300 actions to be carried out over three years (2021-2023) for a total cost of 36 billion dollars, or 12 billion per year.
The priorities of this programme include the pacification of the east of the country, the strengthening of the authority of the State, the improvement of the business climate, the diversification of the economy, the modernisation of basic infrastructure, the fight against climate change, the fight against poverty, etc.

This programme was endorsed by 410 of the 412 MPs present, giving the new government team a blank cheque. An essential step has therefore been taken, and the new government can finally get down to work. In any case, it is not the head of this government who will say otherwise, he who, shortly after the investiture of his team, tweeted: « Happy to have received the motion of approval of the program and investiture of the government of the Sacred Union of the Nation in the National Assembly. Today we must show the world that: Impossible is not Congolese.
A programme with different opinions

If for some Congolese, hope is allowed with the inauguration of the new government, like Moïse Katumbi who wrote on his Twitter account: « The inauguration of the Government @SamaLukonde opens the way to peace in the East! From now on, every life saved is a victory and every victim a defeat! Every minute counts. No one can shirk their responsibilities. There is no more time to lose! « Others remain totally pessimistic. This is the case of the FCC deputy, Geneviève Inagosi, for whom the government programme presented by the Prime Minister is limited to an expression of good intentions that does not take into account the indicators that could allow to evaluate its level of achievement. « It’s déjà vu, déjà entendu, » she said.

Scepticism is also found among Delly Sesanga, president of the political party Envol RD Congo, who, although having subscribed to the programme, does not fail to raise some concerns: « I note that the programme is too ambitious, betting on resources of 300% over 3 years can be risky. There is a risk of deadlock in its execution, » he wrote on Twitter.

In any case, some 100 million Congolese expect a lot from this new government, after the two years of the Ilunga team marked by incessant quarrels that occupied its members to the great detriment of serious issues such as improving the living conditions of Congolese citizens, the pacification of the east of the country still at the mercy of rebel groups. On this last point, on 7 October 2019, during a visit to Bukavi, capital of South Kivu province, President Félix Tshisekedi made a promise that his compatriots have certainly not forgotten: « Our fight will be to bring you peace, a definitive peace, a peace necessary for the stability of our country. And this peace, believe me, I am ready to die for it to be a reality.

In recent weeks, however, there has been a resurgence of massacres of civilians in this part of the country by armed groups. The task of the new government team is therefore immense. The new head of government must demonstrate significant management skills to lead a team that was not easy to put together. Sama Lukonde must know this, because he knows that his compatriots are watching him, and he also knows that his opponents are watching him.