Martin Madidi Fayulu, a fierce critic of President Félix Tshisekedi has called for severing diplomatic ties with Rwanda, which he accuses of meddling in DRC’s internal affairs.
Fayulu who heads the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party (ECIDE), made the remarks during an interview with French Television France24 on Thursday.
In an interview with France 24 and RFI, Martin Fayulu, criticised the management of the crisis with Rwanda by President Tshisekedi.
He considers it necessary to sever diplomatic ties with Kigali. He also confirmed his candidacy for the 2023 presidential election and warned the current president of the DR Congo: he must “have left power on January 23, 2024 at midnight”, as specified in the Constitution.
Following the resumption of fighting in eastern Congo, MP Martin Fayulu demands that the country sever diplomatic relations with Rwanda and denounces the plan to deploy to his country a military force from the countries of the Community of ‘East Africa.
“The Congo is not in East Africa, it is in Central Africa,” he says.
Elections in DR Congo by 2024?
This opposition politician does not beleive that the 2024 elections will be free and fair, according to him it is impossible to have correct and impartial elections within the deadlines, before December 31, 2023.
But Martin Fayulu, leader of the Ecidé party (Commitment for Citizenship and Development) and candidate for the next presidential election, sets two conditions.
He wants the current president, Félix Tshisekedi, to leave power within the constitutional deadline, that is to say no later than January 23, 2024.
And he asks that the transitional president (the president of the Senate, according to the law), which will succeed him, organizes the presidential and legislative elections within a maximum period of four months, that is to say before May 23, 2024, as provided for by law in the event of presidential impediment.
In this interview with France 24 and Radio France Internationale, Martin Fayulu, still claims victory in the 2018 presidential election with 62% of the vote, says he is confident of victory in the next presidential election.
He thinks Congolese are exasperated by the “corrupt regime” of Félix Tshisekedi, who he says “squandered public money by giving $21,000 a month to each MP instead of equipping the army to deal with the Rwandans”.
Under what conditions will the next elections be transparent?
“Provided that the Sacred Union of Félix Tshisekedi, the FCC of Joseph Kabila, [his] political coalition Lamuka and civil society meet around a table to review the electoral law and re-examine the composition of the Ceni and the Constitutional Court.”
