DRC: Return of opposition leader’s body postponed /update 1

Event

The burial of late opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi, originally planned to take place on May 12 at the Union for Democracy and Progress Socialist Party (UDPS) headquarters in the  Limete area of the capital Kinshasa, has been postponed to an unspecified date. The announcement, made on Tuesday, May 9, followed violent incidents near the UPDS headquarters earlier in the day. Unidentified assailants reportedly attacked a police station situated near the UDPS building; gunshots were reported during the attack and the perpetrators set fire to a police vehicle and two police tents. Security forces were subsequently deployed to the UDPS headquarters and access to the facility was blocked. The secretary general of the UDPS has denied accusations that opposition supporters were involved in the assault and claims the Congolese authorities staged the attack as a pretense to take control of the UDPS headquarters and thwart the repatriation of Tshisekedi’s body. 

The incident occurred few hours before President Joseph Kabila announced the members of his new government, to be led by Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala. Tschibala, a former member of the opposition, had been ousted following internal disagreements earlier this year. With a number of Kabila’s former government members retaining key ministerial positions, the announcement will likely trigger additional discontent over the state of a recent agreement between Kabila and the opposition.  

These two incidents may trigger protests and violence cannot be ruled out.

Context

The circumstances surrounding the return of Tshisekedi’s body have been hazy following his unexpected death in Brussels on February 1. Tshisekedi's family initially proposed four symbolic sites for his mausoleum, including three in central Kinshasa in addition to the UPDS headquarters. However, government officials denied their requests, citing a law that states bodies must be buried in cemeteries.

Tshisekedi's death has complicated the implementation of an agreement to hold elections this year following controversial delays, in which Tshisekedi was to play a primary role. President Joseph Kabila's term was officially due to end on December 19, 2016.

According to the same agreement (signed on December 31, 2016): the post of prime minister will be filled by the opposition coalition; a National Council for the Supervision of the Agreement (CNSA), originally to be presided over by Tshisekedi, will be created; and a commission of high magistrates to address political tensions will be established.
The atmosphere has remained tense in Kinshasa following political negotiations over power-sharing arrangements between the ruling party and the opposition, especially since President Kabila designated Bruno Tshibala as Prime Minister on April 7. The nomination triggered discontent and dissent among the opposition as Tshibala was not an opposition candidate, as per the December 2016 agreement.

As the political process in Kinshasa stalls, grievances over socioeconomic and political conditions - and continued anger at Kabila’s extended term - will likely continue to rise. The potential accompanying violence could be a pretext for the government to further delay elections.

In the rest of the country, particularly in the central Kasai and eastern Kivu provinces, hostilities between various local militias and government forces continue to be reported.

Advice

Individuals present in the DRC are advised to keep abreast of the sociopolitical situation and to avoid all political events and demonstrations as violence may flare up without warning (security forces are known to use a heavy-handed response to protestors).