Congolese citizens have shared their divergent views on the new cabinet recently announced by Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi after over five months of anticipation.
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka’s team was introduced on national television on Wednesday.
This announcement was highly anticipated, as the country’s eastern region, particularly North Kivu province, continues to grapple with a severe security crisis.
A resident of Goma Georges Yalala said: “If the government has been unveiled, we in North Kivu have only one expectation: the war’s end.
“The camps for the displaced must be prepared so that everyone can return home.”
A motorcycle taxi driver Barabara Héritier in his opinion said: “We will be more satisfied seeing that this government does not serve its interests or those of its families.
“The appointed members must understand that they are there to serve the Congolese people, address their needs, solve their problems, and work for the nation.”
The announcement comes ten days after what the army described as an “attempted coup.” In addition to the country’s security situation, the socio-economic conditions are concerning due to the depreciation of the national currency.
The civil society is hoping for concrete results.
“We believe that with this government, we should judge them not on their composition or political affiliation, but on the first concrete results that we will see in three days, a week, on the ground,” says Marion Ngahvo, president of the civil society of Goma.
President Félix Tshisekedi’s government has prioritized job creation, economic diversification, and increasing purchasing power in his second term.
In power since January 2019, he was re-elected in the first round last December with more than 73% of the vote.
