Congo: Tshisekedi, Sassou hold bilateral talks

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, on Thursday concluded a visit of more than 24 hours in Brazzaville where he held talks with his Congolese counterpart Denis Sassou-Nguesso.

It was his third visit to Brazzaville since his inauguration in January 2019.

Addressing media, Tshisekedi spoke at length about the political friction between his platform CASH and the FCC of his predecessor Joseph Kabila.

“At the moment there are delegates from both camps who are meeting and discussing to try to clear the way and see again the conditions to be able to look in the same direction. That shouldn’t bother you.”

“It’s quite inherent in a young democracy, in a first political experience. This is the first time we have experienced this in this country. It could not have gone perfectly. Even in old democracies coalitions have always been a problem. It should not be shocking,” he added.

DRC-Zambia border dispute

Another important topic discussed was the border dispute between the DRC and Zambia. Tshisekedi has decided to rely on his Congolese counterpart, Sassou-Nguesso to pacify the situation.

“We have never understood the attitude of Zambia and we have offered several explanations. Currently, the problem is at the SADC level. But the current president of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), President Denis Sassou-Nguesso is keeping an eye on things,” he said.

“Until then, we will say that the situation is calm while we wait for SADC to help us trace the borders that date back to the colonial era and settle this problem once and for all,” he concluded.

The two Heads of State discussed the coronavirus pandemic, including the upcoming reopening of the borders between the two countries, which have been closed for about three months under a health state of emergency.