Angola-Congo friction may rock region
A CHANGE of tone in Angola’s relationship with long-time ally Congo has left Congolese President Joseph Kabila more isolated as he clings to power in his vast central African country.
Angola, a regional political and military heavyweight, has on several occasions provided vital support for Kabila, who took over as president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2001, following the assassination of his father.
However, Luanda is frustrated by Kabila’s handling of several crises, including his failure to step aside when his mandate ended last December and a conflict in which refugees have poured across his country’s long border into Angola. In December, Angola withdrew military trainers it had sent to the Congo, where wars at the turn of the century killed millions and sucked in neighbouring countries.
That decision raised doubts that Luanda would be ready to bail Kabila out again, and these uncertainties have been heightened by the change of tone in ties, signalling a big shift in regional power politics.
Foreign Minister Georges Chikoti made it clear that patience was running out in May, when he questioned a statement in which Congo said a conflict in the Kasai region bordering Angola had been resolved after several months.
“On one side, we are told that the question of the succession of the kingdom of Kasai has been resolved, on the other, we (still) see people who arrive (in Angola) having been treated badly,” he told French broadcaster RFI.
Chikoti also backed calls for an international inquiry into the killing of two UN investigators in the region, a move which Kinshasa has rejected.
A more direct challenge has come from Sindika Dokolo, a Congolese businessman and art collector who is married to the billionaire daughter of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
Dokolo has in recent weeks hit out at Kabila on Twitter and in interviews, drawing comparisons with the end of Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko’s rule.
“We underestimate Congo’s capacity to destabilise the region,” he said. “We are playing with matches on a barrel of explosives and that worries me a lot.”
Dokolo has urged students and church leaders to mobilise against Kabila and praised Moise Katumbi, an opposition leader in exile.
He says he is commenting as a private Congolese citizen. But the outspoken remarks carry weight because they come from the heart of the family around Dos Santos.
“Clearly, as husband to Isabel dos Santos, this signals frustration in Luanda,” said Alex Vines, head of the Africa Programme at London-based policy institute Chatham House.
Angola has had differences in the past with the Congo, including over their maritime borders and oil claims, but believes its interests are best served if the Congo is stable.