KINSHASA (Reuters) – The Democratic Republic of Congo has appointed a new government, spokeswoman Tina Salama announced early on Wednesday, ending a deadlock that had plunged the country into political instability for months.
President Felix Tshisekedi won a second term in elections due in late 2023 and his Holy Union coalition won a majority in parliament, but in-fighting over cabinet posts has delayed the formation of a new government.
The president ultimately appointed Judith Soumyinwa as Congo's first female prime minister on April 1 and his former chief of staff, Vital Kamerhe, as speaker of parliament on May 22, paving the way for government appointments.
The new cabinet has 54 ministers compared with 57 in the previous cabinet, a smaller-than-expected reduction in staffing despite pressure to cut costs.
Making the announcement on state broadcaster RTNC, Salama said Guy Kabombo Muadiambita had been appointed minister of defense, a key role given Congo's costly two-year conflict with the M23 rebel group in the east.
Muadia Mbita is a former lawyer and was previously editor-in-chief of Congo's Official Gazette, the official journal that records legal acts.
Dudu Fwamba Likunde was appointed finance minister, while Kizito Pakabomba was appointed to oversee the ministry of mines and Congo's globally significant reserves of coltan, copper and other minerals.
Presidential communications director Eric Nindu said the delay in forming a government was due to the parties in the ruling coalition taking time to find a compromise.
“It's better than a country full of conflict,” he told RTNC.
Tshisekedi was elected in 2019 and formed his first government after a coalition with his predecessor, Joseph Kabila, collapsed in 2021.
Tshisekedi then formed a new coalition government.
Since the last elections in December, the Holy Alliance has held around 95% of the seats in the National Assembly.
(Reporting by Sonia Rowley; Writing by Sofia Christensen and Alessandra Prentiss; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
