Jump to navigation

Congo-Kinshasa

Another win for President Tshisekedi as parliament censures Prime Minister Sylvestre Illunga and clearing the way for a new government

PREVIEW

Political shift in Kinshasa threatens former leader Kabila and his business associates

The government of Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga, a close ally of former president Joseph Kabila, has fallen after the National Assembly in Kinshasa passed a censure motion against him. This is the biggest boost that President Félix Tshisekedi has achieved so far in his year long campaign to claw back power over the economy and security from his predecessor, Kabila.

Tshisekedi hopes his Union Sacrée coalition will replace former President Joseph Kabila's Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC) as the dominant force in parliament. The ability of Tshisekedi allies to force out two Kabila allies, first the speaker Jeannine Mabunda, and now premier Ilunga, suggests the President on nearing his goal (Vol 61 No 25, President nearer to power and Vol 62 No 2, No get out of jail card).

Forcing out Ilunga collapses the government and allows Tshisekedi to nominate a cabinet of his choosing after two years of cohabitation with Kabila's FCC which has retained control of most key ministries. There are reports from Kinshasa that Kabila, his security and business ties under threat, has been trying to negotiate some legal protection from the Tshisekedi government.

Copyright © Africa Confidential 2026
https://www.africa-confidential.com

Prepared for Free Article on 15/09/2026 at 07:15. Authorized users may download, save, and print articles for their own use, but may not further disseminate these articles in their electronic form without express written permission from Africa Confidential / Asempa Limited. Contact subscriptions@africa-confidential.com.

Related Articles

President nearer to power

Parliamentary victory for Tshisekedi encourages him to press ahead in his bid to wrest the state from former president Kabila

Former president Joseph Kabila's political coalition, the Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC), which ordinarily has a comfortable majority in the National Assembly, scored a spectacular own goal...

The man who says no

Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda likes to compare his relentless campaign against the Kinshasa government with the military resistance of General Charles de Gaulle, 'the man who said no'. Taking the parallels further, Nkunda has announced the formation of a provisional government in eastern Congo and threatens to march on the Kabila government. Without substantial back-up for the UN peacekeepers and a turnaround by the government forces, Nkunda's wild ambitions will face few obstacles.

The strategic blunders of both the Kinshasa government and the Kivu rebels leave Congo's government facing military defeat, the rebels facing political isolation and the people of Kivu...

More trickle-down please

There has to be more in it for Tshisekedi’s camp followers if his uneasy partnership with the former president is to survive

The coalition of the Cap pour le changement (CACH) alliance, led by President Félix Tshisekedi, and ex-President Joseph Kabila's Front commun pour le Congo (FCC) is unhappy and...


Stories by country

Footer Map