Tshisekedi Rejects Accusations Of ‘Selling Off DRC Minerals’

President Félix Tshisekedi has rejected growing accusations that he has sold off the country’s wealth to the United States following a recent deal with Washington.

“I want to stand here before you and solemnly reaffirm what I have always stood for: never, ever, will I sell off the wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he told journalists during the ceremony celebrating International Press Freedom Day on Monday.

Tshisekedi noted that those who accuse him are adamant that the DRC remains economically dependent.

“Certain speeches, sometimes relayed without verification by a section of the press, wrongly evoke an alleged sell-off of our natural resources,” President Tshisekedi noted.

“These naturally unfounded allegations often stem from campaigns aimed at weakening our economic sovereignty and undermining our country’s efforts to strategically reposition itself on the world stage,” he stated.

Tshisekedi also denounced the disinformation campaigns that the DRC has been subjected to for years, aimed at weakening its institutions.

“In recent years, our country has been the target of fake news. Deepfakes and disinformation campaigns which have fueled distrust in the institutions of the Republic, fueled divisions within our local communities, and weakened our national cohesion,” the Congolese leader said.

This years edition of International Press Freedom Day was held under the theme: “Informing in a complex world – The impact of artificial intelligence on press freedom and the media.”