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<p>Over the weekend, Rwanda&#8217;s President Paul Kagame and the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Félix Tshisekedi signed three bilateral agreements namely; bilateral investment treaty, a double taxation avoidance agreement, as well as an MoU on a mining concession. Moreover, DRC’s vision to be integrated into the East African Community took another step forward after the bloc launched a verification mission to the central African country. Economic Analyst, Ted Kaberuka oins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


EAC: Why there is renewed interest in DRC

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<p>The Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi has hosted the long-awaited meeting for the regional heads of state to address peace and security concerns as well as economic cooperation. Ivan R. Mugisha, Journalist with The East African joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


DRC hosts regional meeting on peace & security

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In a bid to normalize ties between Rwanda and Uganda, through the fourth Quadripartite Heads of State Summit both President Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni met at Gatuna border. They were joined by Angolan President João Lourenço and his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi. The agenda of the meeting includes review and discussion of feedback from Uganda following a Note Verbale from Kigali dispatched on February 15. Joining CNBC Africa to speak on economic integration between countries in the region is Journalist Gonzaga Mugwana.</p>


Heads of state meet to discuss economic integration of Rwanda

Heads of state meet to discuss economic integration of Rwanda, Uganda and Congo

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<p>Rwanda and Ugandan leaders over the weekend met in the Angolan capital, Luanda as the host country and the Democratic Republic of Congo&#8217;s leaders tried to mediate between the two East African Community neighbours. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda met at a Regional Security Summit recently hosted by Angolan President Joao Manuel Lourenco and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) leader Felix Tshisekedi. Researcher and analyst, Dr. Frederick Golooba-Mutebi joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


DRC, Angola to meditate Uganda-Rwanda dialogue

<span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/reuben-loffman-344578">Reuben Loffman</a>, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/queen-mary-university-of-london-1745">Queen Mary University of London</a></em></span>

<p>Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba is the <a href="https://www.jeuneafrique.com/mag/779729/politique/rdc-discret-et-consensuel-sylvestre-ilunga-ilunkamba-descend-dans-larene/">new prime minister</a> of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He’s <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20190520-dr-congos-tshisekedi-names-new-prime-minister">an old-timer</a> who has worked for former presidents Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent Kabila, and his son Joseph Kabila. He now joins President Felix Tshisekedi’s freshly minted administration. </p>

<p>At the time of Ilunga’s appointment the DRC had been without a premier for more than four months. This was not ideal given the importance of the position. Congolese premiers must <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/dr-congo-ruling-coalition-wins-legislative-majority/a-47057940">countersign presidential orders</a>. Without a prime minister, the president can struggle to exercise full control over the government. </p>

<p>It’s therefore no surprise that without a prime minister for the first four months of his presidency Tshisekedi has not been able to set out a clear legislative agenda. </p>

<p>The appointment confirms fears that former president Joseph Kabila <a href="https://www.africanews.com/2019/05/03/kabila-meets-new-drc-governors-rallies-support-for-tshisekedi-alliance//">still wields a lot of power</a> over the Congolese government. Ilunga is one of his <a href="https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/africa/Felix-Tshisekedi-names--ally-of-joseph-kabila-as-prime-minister/4552902-5131058-hwccdlz/index.html">close confidants</a>.  </p>

<p>This might be overblown given that Tshisekedi had no real choice about appointing a Kabila ally. The DRC Constitution requires that the prime minister comes from the largest party in the National Assembly. That party is Kabila’s Peoples’ Party for Reconciliation and Democracy.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that Ilunga will face dealing with conflicts between party and president. Kabila’s Peoples’ Party for Reconciliation and Democracy and Tshisekedi’s Union for Democracy and Social Progress are bound to clash from time to time and Ilunga is likely to get caught in the cross-fire. In that position, he will have to choose whether to advance the president’s agenda or to frustrate it. If he chooses to frustrate, Tshisekedi’s time at the helm will be rocky.</p>

<p>Tshisekedi will also have to work with a National Assembly that is dominated by an <a href="https://www.africanews.com/2019/03/16/drc-ruling-party-fails-to-get-senate-seat-kabila-coalition-dominates/">opposing coalition</a>. This means that he will not be able to pass laws without the approval of the Kabila led Common Front for Congo. </p>

<p>Away from the parliament, Kabila is yet to <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2019/05/25/congos-new-president-felix-tshisekedi-does-not-call-the-shots">move out</a> of the presidential palace. Meanwhile, Tshisekedi is often met with indifference around the country. He will have to work hard to dislodge the status quo. </p>

<p>Ilunga’s appointment, however, could dent his efforts to prove that he is the man in charge. The new prime minister’s experience and expertise — he was once head of the Congo’s national rail network (SNCC) and is an economics professor at the University of Kinshasa — could potentially help Tshisedi even if his time at the helm of the SNCC was a failure. Whether or not Ilunga’s experience helps Tshisekedi depends on the choices he elects to make. </p>

<h2>Key challenges to the presidency</h2>

<p>Tshisekedi also needs to set out his agenda. There are a number of challenges he will have to tackle head on. </p>

<p>The first thing he will have to deal with is the <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/eastern-drc-tens-thousands-forcibly-displaced-surge-violence">continued violence</a> in north-eastern Congo. During the campaign he promised to reestablish law and order, but he may not be able to do so given the  violence.  </p>

<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/radical-ideas-are-needed-to-break-the-drcs-ebola-outbreak-here-are-some-116681">Ebola outbreak</a> in north-eastern Congo poses another challenge. The disease has already claimed hundreds of lives and efforts to control its spread have been compromised by political instability and <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/04/30/cliches-can-kill-in-congo-grand-nord-north-kivu-tropes-conflict-ebola-response/">attacks</a> on treatment centres. </p>

<p>While Tshisekedi must appear to be in control of the outbreak it is clear that most of the responsibility to manage the disease will <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-05-2019-united-nations-strengthens-ebola-response-in-democratic-republic-of-the-congo">fall to the UN</a>. This means that he will have to work with the world body despite its <a href="https://unu.edu/publications/articles/why-cuts-to-un-troops-in-congo-could-be-good-thing.html">unpopularity among the locals</a>. The UN is unpopular because it has failed to contain the recent spate of killings in northeastern Congo. </p>

<p>He will also have to tackle the DRC’s poverty problem. Poverty is widespread in the DRC despite the country having a great deal of mineral wealth. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43355678">Foreign miners are heavily taxed</a> but this revenue has done little to raise standards of living for ordinary Congolese. Although the World Bank has stated that <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/country/congo-dem-rep">poverty is decreasing</a> in the vast central African country, it is far from alleviated. It’s claimed that <a href="https://borgenproject.org/facts-about-poverty-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo/">80% of the DRC’s 77 million people</a> live in extreme poverty.  </p>

<p>The DRC <a href="https://www.publicfinanceinternational.org/news/2018/10/drc-tax-collection-lags-other-africa-nations">collects less taxes</a> than the majority of African nations. This means that Tshisekedi’s administration will remain reliant on donors to support Congo’s impoverished population for years to come.</p>

<p>In addition, Tshikedi will have to come to terms with the looming spectre of former presidential hopeful Martin Fayulu who <a href="https://africanarguments.org/2019/04/16/one-day-congo-will-explode-what-now-drc-congo-martin-fayulu/">still believes he won</a> the presidential election. </p>

<h2>Overcoming obstacles</h2>

<p>Soon after his swearing-in Tshisekedi launched a <a href="https://www.africanews.com/2019/03/27/tshisekedi-s-shuttle-diplomacy-heads-to-us-after-visits-to-6-african-nations/">charm offensive</a> to woo world leaders. His aim was to create multilateral partnerships to reinforce his grip on power. He met with several African heads of state including those of the Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Angola and Namibia.</p>

<p>His most critical meeting was with <a href="https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/events/article/visit-by-jean-yves-le-drian-to-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-and-chad-20-21">French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Driani</a>. The two men agreed to strengthen bilateral ties between France and the DRC. France agreed to train high-ranking officers in the Congolese army. Military strength is clearly a priority for the new president.</p>

<p>The economy must be too. Tshisekedi must send a clear message that the country is stable and open for business despite <a href="https://www.africanews.com/2019/01/15/drc-election-hub-top-opposition-candidate-calls-for-debate/">initial questions</a> around the conduct of the presidential election. </p>

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      Read more:
      <a href="http://theconversation.com/tshisekedis-victory-in-the-drc-is-historic-but-controversial-109673">Tshisekedi’s victory in the DRC is historic &#8212; but controversial</a>
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<p>Despite his shaky start, Tshisekedi has parts of Africa, France and <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/02/01/how-washington-got-on-board-with-congos-rigged-election-drc-tshisekedi-kabila-great-lakes/">the US</a> on his side. It remains to be seen whether these allies will give him enough support to survive his first term in office.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118247/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" /></p>

<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/reuben-loffman-344578">Reuben Loffman</a>, Lecturer in African History, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/queen-mary-university-of-london-1745">Queen Mary University of London</a></em></span></p>

<p>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/drcs-new-president-faces-fresh-challenges-with-old-guard-premier-118247">original article</a>.</p>

The key challenges that DRC’s new president faces

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<p>Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo has named Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba, the head of the country&#8217;s railways as the next Prime Minister, a move that comes nearly four months after his inauguration.  Soraya Aziz Souleyman, Business and Human Rights Defender joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


DRC: What’s being done to turnaround the economy?

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<p>Opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi has been declared winner of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr. Tschisekedi has vowed to be the president of all Congolese. Meanwhile, rival candidate Martin Fayulu has dismissed the results as “electoral coup”. For a discussion on the results of the contested elections CNBC Africa is joined by Soraya Aziz Souleymane, Development Expert and Mike Itongwa, a citizen who’s based in the eastern town of Goma.</p>


Dissecting the impact of DRC’s election results

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<p>Democratic Republic of Congo’s main opposition party leader Felix Tshisekedi, has been declared the surprise winner of the 30th of December 2018 elections. For more CNBC Africa is joined by ClaudeI Balanky Spokesperson for Tshisekedi.</p>


Felix Tshisekedi’s Spokesperson talks about DRC election victory


<p>KINSHASA (Reuters) &#8211; Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission on Thursday declared opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi the surprise winner of last month’s chaotic presidential election, but the runner-up dismissed the outcome as an “electoral coup”.</p>



<p>The result sets the stage for Congo’s first democratic transfer of power, but also a tense political standoff with the potential for the kind of violence that followed polls in 2006 and 2011 whose outcome was contested.</p>



<p>Vote tallies by Congo’s Catholic church (CENCO) showed second-placed opposition candidate Martin Fayulu as victor, according to two diplomats briefed on the findings.</p>



<p>Tshisekedi won with 38.57 percent of more than 18 million ballots cast, Corneille Nangaa, the president of the election commission (CENI), told a news conference at 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) that seemed timed to avoid any immediate reaction in the streets.</p>



<p><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/international/2019/01/02/drc-elections-felix-tshisekedi/">DRC elections: Downpours,no internet drudgery and a fisherman’s find on the way to a Mandela- inspired tomorrow?</a></p>



<p>“Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo is declared the provisionally- elected president of Democratic Republic of Congo,” Nangaa said, to a mixture of cheers and gasps inside CENI headquarters.</p>



<p>In the Kinshasa neighbourhood of Limete where Tshisekedi lives, thousands of people danced in the streets in celebration and cars slowed down and honked their horns.</p>



<p>Some chanted that Congo had “turned the page” on the Kabila era, which began in 1997 when Joseph Kabila’s father, Laurent, led a rebellion that overthrew longtime leader Mobutu Sese Seko. Joseph took over in 2001 when Laurent was assassinated.</p>



<p>“For a ruler to pass power to an opponent is rare, and it gives hope for the rest of Africa,” said John, a school teacher in Kinshasa who declined to give his full name.</p>



<p>“We now want change with this new power. Poverty, insecurity, killings, we must finish with all this.”</p>



<p>Speaking to cheering supporters at his campaign headquarters, Tshisekedi paid his respects to outgoing President Joseph Kabila, whom he called “an important political partner”, and promised to rule for all Congo’s 80 million people.</p>



<p>“I will not be the president of a political organisation &#8230; I will not be the president of a tribe &#8230; I will be the president of all Congolese,” he said.</p>



<p>If Tshisekedi’s victory is confirmed in the next 10 days by the constitutional court, he will become the first leader to take power at the ballot box since Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, who was toppled in a coup less than three months after independence in 1960 and killed four months later.</p>



<p>Opposition fears that authorities would rig the vote in favour of Kabila’s hand-picked candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, did not materialise as Shadary finished a distant third to Tshisekedi and Fayulu, with about 4.4 million votes.</p>



<p>However, the result will fuel suspicion among Fayulu’s supporters that Tshisekedi, shown by pre-election opinion polls to be running well behind Fayulu, struck a power-sharing pact with Kabila.</p>



<p>Tshisekedi’s camp has acknowledged contact with Kabila’s representatives since the vote but said they were aimed at ensuring a peaceful transition and denied there had been any deal. [nL8N1Z849V]</p>



<p>In an interview with Radio France Internationale, Fayulu, who was backed by prominent foes of Kabila, described the vote as an “electoral coup”.</p>



<p>“The results have nothing to do with the truth of the ballot box,” he told RFI, and called on observers of the Dec. 30 vote to publish the real results.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">CONTESTATION</h3>



<p>Tshisekedi is the son of the legendary Etienne Tshisekedi, who led opposition to three successive presidents over 35 years. Felix’s profile rose when his father died in 2017 after helping to negotiate Kabila’s reluctant departure.</p>



<p>Kabila initially refused to step down when his mandate ended in 2016. In an interview last month, he did not rule out running again for president in 2023.</p>



<p>Losing candidates can contest Tshisekedi’s victory before Congo’s constitutional court, which has 10 days to hear and rule on any challenges.</p>



<p>Any widespread perception the election has been stolen could set off a destabilising cycle of unrest, particularly in the volatile eastern borderlands where Fayulu enjoyed some of his strongest support.</p>



<p>The Catholic Church’s bishops conference said last week that it knew the identity of the winner and demanded that CENI publish accurate results. The Church did not say who it thought the winner was, but briefed diplomats on its conclusions. CENCO was not immediately available for comment after the results.</p>



<p>The vote was initially delayed by a week in part because of a fire that destroyed ballot papers. Authorities cancelled voting on election day for more than one million people, saying the vote could not go ahead because of an Ebola outbreak and militia violence.</p>



<p>Observers said many polling stations opened late and closed early and in some places voting machines malfunctioned.</p>



<p>Additional reporting by Fiston Mahamba in Goma; Additional reporting and writing by Aaron Ross and Edward McAllister; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Clarence Fernandez<br></p>


DRC elections: Opposition leader Tshisekedi clinches surprise win in presidential election, here’s what happens next


<p>By Chris Bishop, head of programming CNBC Africa</p>



<p>The results of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s rare elections are expected this weekend, according to a special adviser to one of the candidates promising a business friendly government and Mandela-style reconciliation for the war torn, yet mineral rich,nation.</p>



<p>It has been a journey of drudgery, downpours, allegations of fraud and protest since the polls opened on December 30 to find a successor to Joseph Kabila. He has stepped down after nearly two decades running the country that his father, Laurent, who died in a mysterious assassination in 2001, took control of in 1997 after overthrowing Mobuto Sese Seko.</p>



<p>Felix Tshisekedi, the son of a former minister who studied in Belgium and set up his own delivery business in Brussels after years working in the Post Office, is fighting it out with former Exxon Mobil manager and opposition lawmaker Martin Fayulu and the man with Kabila’s vote, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.</p>



<p> </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RDC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RDC</a><br>Le Président Joseph <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabila?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kabila</a> a rempli son devoir civique, en compagnie des siens,  ce dimanche 30 décembre 2018 à Kinshasa. <a href="https://t.co/tMiljzmywD">pic.twitter.com/tMiljzmywD</a></p>— Présidence RDC ?? (@Presidence_RDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Presidence_RDC/status/1079286376816930816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>“The latest we are leading by between 40 and 45%, in 13 out of 14 provinces. Around 70% of the vote has been counted and we understand all the votes have been captured,” says Claude Ibalanky Ekolomba, the special adviser to Tshisekedi . </p>



<p>“Overall we are excited and extremely confident. We are leading the race at the moment.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/international/2018/12/31/drc-elections-why-the-opposition-is-crying-foul/"><strong>Read: DRC elections: Opposition, ruling coalition both say they’ve won, here’s why</strong></a></h3>



<p>Ibalanky Ekolomba, who is visiting Johannesburg, admits it is difficult to keep contact with the people back in the DRC with the internet shut down by the state for fear it may stir unrest.</p>



<p>“We have ways to get through, it is not always reliable but we do and it is the people on the ground who know what is happening,” he says. He pointed to a case of alleged fraud where a bag of votes for Tshisekedi were found by a fisherman in a river near Lake Kivu who simply picked it up and reported it to the authorities.</p>



<p class="has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color">“You cannot stop 30 million people witnessing their own election and when things are happening we are told.”</p>



<p>Ibalanky Ekolomba says Tshisekedi wants to be a business friendly president, if elected, in search of the foreign direct investment that the DRC desperately needs to reap the rewards of its rich minerals.&nbsp;Tshisekedi did not plan to cancel contracts with foreign companies as had been done before after changes of government.</p>



<p>“If we find a mistake in a contract we will engage and see how we are going to correct it,” he says.</p>



<p>“Some people are fearing we will be hard on business but not at all – we will be open for business.”</p>



<p>Tshisekedi also promises to appoint people to government on merit.</p>



<p>“Fighting corruption and money laundering. There will be no witch hunt among people who were members of the former government, we will be saying let’s build this country together just like Mandela did,” says Ibalanky Ekolomba.&nbsp;</p>


DRC elections: Downpours,no internet drudgery and a fisherman’s find on the way to a Mandela- inspired tomorrow?


<p>KINSHASA, Dec 28 (Reuters) &#8211; Thembo Kashauri has sketched some of the most scathing parodies of Joseph Kabila, yet Congo’s best-known political cartoonist has mixed feelings about the taciturn president’s impending departure after nearly two decades in power.</p>



<p>“He had an atypical personality for a head of state but he inspired a lot of my drawings,” the cartoonist known as Kash said in his cramped studio cluttered with old computer equipment in the capital Kinshasa.</p>



<p>“His silences were so eloquent that the fact he didn’t speak much said a lot,” he said of Kabila, who has governed Democratic Republic of Congo since his father’s assassination in 2001.</p>



<p>After Kabila finally agreed not to defy presidential term limits by standing in Sunday’s election, Kash drew a weeping Joseph with his signature salt-and-pepper beard and thick head of hair being comforted by South Africa’s president.</p>



<p>“Power is life,” sobs Kabila as Cyril Ramaphosa reassures him there is life after the presidency.</p>



<p>The election, which has turned into a race between Kabila’s favoured candidate and two main opposition challengers, could lead to Congo’s first democratic transfer of power after decades marked by armed conflicts.</p>



<p>But the poll, which is already two years late because Kabila refused to go when his mandate expired, has been marred by killings on the campaign trail and opposition outcry after the electoral commission cancelled the vote in several of their strongholds, citing security and health concerns.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">‘TURN THE PAGE’</h3>



<p>Kash, 53, is well-accustomed to finding ways to make light of Congo’s grim realities, but he hopes the outcome of Sunday’s vote could lighten the dark mood that permeates his sketches.</p>



<p>“If one of the opposition candidates took power, I think &#8230; we could turn the page,” he said.</p>



<p>Kash, who draws for Le Potentiel, an opposition-leaning daily in Kinshasa, and the news site actualite.cd, has found plenty to poke fun at during a topsy-turvy campaign.</p>



<p>After the electoral commission announced last week yet another seven-day delay to the vote, Kash sketched commission president Corneille Nangaa on an A4 sheet of paper in chef’s whites in a smoke-filled kitchen.</p>



<p>While Nangaa stirs a big pot labelled “December 30 cassoulet”, an anxious waitress asks if the food is ready as the diners are on the verge of rioting.</p>



<p>“I’m trying to portray Congolese people’s anxiety about December 30,” Kash told Reuters after filling in an initial pencil sketch with bold strokes of thick black marker.</p>



<p>Kash, who hails from the eastern city of Beni, began his career as a painter but learned to draw cartoons from a Belgian artist and started to sketch for magazines in the 1980s.</p>



<p>At first, he stuck to cartoons about music and culture but he started depicting veteran Congolese autocrat Mobutu Sese Seko in 1990 after his forces massacred dozens of students in the southeastern city of Lubumbashi.</p>



<p>“We couldn’t caricature politics,” he said. “In 1990, I was just about the first to caricature Mobutu.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION</h3>



<p>Often heavy-handed repression of journalists and activists has continued since the Mobutu era through the administrations of Laurent Kabila and his son, Joseph.</p>



<p>But Kash says he rarely faces official pressure to tone down his drawings &#8211; even if his newspaper occasionally won’t run cartoons it deems too provocative.</p>



<p><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/international/2018/12/28/why-protests-are-erupting-as-drc-elections-loom/">Why protests are erupting as DRC elections loom</a></p>



<p>On several occasions, he has drawn Congo as an open-air prison hemmed in by high walls and barbed wire. In 2014, he drew Kabila trying on Mobutu’s trademark leopard-skin hat as the old dictator tells him he’ll be able to hold on to power if he just adds a cane and glasses to his repertoire.</p>



<p>Kash’s ability to mock the rich and powerful in Congo reflects in part a country that has long proved too big and too unruly for any leader to muzzle its famed sense of humour, unlike its more tightly controlled neighbours.</p>



<p>“The freedom of expression we have in Congo is the result of a long struggle. In Brazzaville and Rwanda, you don’t mess around. You’ll get yourself killed,” he said.</p>



<p>Even so, there are few other cartoonists who have his fearless style. “They’re too timid,” said Kash.</p>



<p>Despite his self-avowed fondness for drawing Kabila, Kash said his would-be successors have some potential too.</p>



<p>One of the frontrunners, Felix Tshisekedi, has the same bulk as his father, the late opposition icon Etienne, and sports the same distinctive flat cap. Kash said he also enjoys drawing Kabila’s preferred successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.</p>



<p>“Since he was picked as the heir apparent, I’ve been able to draw him fairly easily because he has quite fine features &#8211; the nose, the body. He’s an interesting subject to draw.” (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice in Kinshasa and Aaron Ross in Dakar; editing by David Clarke)</p>


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