Today I want to tell you about President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. He is the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) since 2019.
Before I share what I want to talk about, here are some few facts about the DRC. The DR Congo and Rwanda are two East African countries and neighbours. The DR Congo remains the world’s largest cobalt producer. Nearly 70% of the world’s tantalum, which is extracted from cobalt, comes from DR Congo and neighbouring Rwanda. The eastern region of the country is also home to vast deposits of tin and tungsten. The country also has vast sources of coltan.
Ladies and gentlemen, since the beginning of this year, DRC and Rwanda have been choking each other’s throat. Now, a brief history about the conflict between DRC and Rwanda in part, can be traced back to the heart-wrenching events of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Around 800,000 lives were tragically lost, most of them from the Tutsi community, at the hands of Hutu extremists. The genocide came to an end when a group of Tutsi-led rebels, led by Paul Kagame—who is now Rwanda’s president—advanced to reclaim the country. Fearing retaliation, nearly one million Hutus fled to what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This sparked deep tensions, especially among the Banyamulenge, a marginalized Tutsi group in the eastern Congo, who felt increasingly unsafe.
Rwanda’s army launched two invasions of the DR Congo, stating their intention to pursue those responsible for the genocide. They collaborated with the Banyamulenge and other armed groups. After decades of conflict, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)—a Hutu militia that includes some of those involved in the genocide—remains active in eastern DR Congo. Rwanda labels the FDLR as a “genocidal militia” and expresses concern that its continued presence in the region poses a threat to both Rwanda and the Tutsi communities in the east of the Congo.
Rwanda has voiced its desire to resolve this matter, with hopes of ending the threat once and for all. It accuses Congolese authorities of working alongside the FDLR, a claim that the DR Congo denies. As long as the FDLR remains a threat, particularly to the safety of Tutsi communities, it seems unlikely that Rwanda will stand by and allow the situation to continue unchecked.
Friends, when President Tshisekedi on the other side realized he would loose the battle, he did what to me is unprecedented. In a bold diplomatic move Felix Tshisekedi offered the United States and Europe a stake in his country’s vast mineral wealth — on the condition that they intervene to end the ongoing conflict ravaging the nation.
You know why? Because he wanted to bring about security and stability in his country.
Friends, some of you may call it desperation. But I think President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo did the honourable thing. He used the minerals he had to get what he wanted. Obviously he might have said, what is the value of gold and coltan to a nation of dead bodies?
Oftentimes we may have to let gold and coltan go in order to settle the storm. We might face situations where there is a dire need to allow the center to crumble and things to actually fall apart. We must use what we have to get what we don’t have. If you are a young man with lots of energy, use it productively to get what you want. If God has gifted you the ability to speak, use that talent to get that life partner or job you want.
You, me and President Tshisekedi, may we always have the wisdom to use what we have to get what we don’t have.
Ceelala Lalasi is an award winning Ghanaian writer and can be reached at [email protected]
