“They discussed the situation in the east of the country and the new partnership between Africa and France that the president illustrated during this tour.“, indicated, Sunday March 5, the French presidency. It confirms by the same information from the radio France Inter. According to the latter, Emmanuel Macron saw him at the residence of the ambassador of France.
The meeting with the French president was held discreetly. Several groups are pushing the Nobel Peace Prize to enter the presidential race to be held in December 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Dr Mukwege runs a hospital in Bukavu, in the east of the country, plagued for nearly 30 years by violence by armed groups, gang rapes and genital mutilation.
Dr. Mukwege does not hesitate to take a stand on political issues of national interest. In particular, he pleads for “the establishment of a special tribunal for the Congo, to fight once morest the atrocities“.
Last December, he also denounced, with two political actors, namely Martin Fayulu, unsuccessful presidential candidate of 2018 and who still claims more than 60% of the vote, and Augustin Matata Ponyo, former Prime Minister (2012-2016) , a “outsourcing policy“from the security of the DR Congo by President Tshisekedi to”foreign forces“including Rwanda and Uganda in reference.
Lively exchange
The Macron-Mukwege meeting takes place before the joint press conference between the two French and Congolese presidents, which was marked by a lively exchange on the electoral process in the DRC.
Félix Tshisekedi, elected in 2018 under controversial conditions, did not hide his resentment at the remarks made by the head of French diplomacy at the time, Jean-Yves Le Drian. The Minister of Foreign Affairs then described his victory as “African-style compromise“.
The Congolese president called for more “respect“. He lamented the “paternalistic look“focused on Africa and suggested that Western countries, including France, were not exempt from”irregularities“elections.
Emmanuel Macron replied, at the risk of posing as a lesson giver, that in France the “political embezzlement” gave rise to “trial“and condemnations and that justice was there”independent“.
“I know how much President Tshisekedi, who is the fruit of a political alternation, is attached to democratic clarity. There’s no reason things can’t be done in the best conditions“in December, however, added the French head of state.
(Re)see: Central Africa: review of Emmanuel Macron’s tour
