KINSHASA, Aug 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Felix Tshisekedi reshuffled the cabinet of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, appointing at least two opposition figures, according to decrees read on state television.
The new cabinet is still led by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka and comprises 53 members, one less than the previous government.
Opposition leader and former prime minister Adolphe Muzito was appointed deputy prime minister and minister of budget, according to the decrees.
Floribert Anzuluni, leader of a small opposition party, was made minister of regional integration.
The formation of the new cabinet followed political consultations at the beginning of the year, which was marked by a security crisis in the east of the country.
Rich in key minerals such as gold and coltan, eastern DRC has been riven by fighting between rival armed groups and interference by foreign powers for more than 30 years.
The region bordering Rwanda saw a fresh surge of violence this year when the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan troops, captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu.
After months of broken truces, the DRC and M23 signed a declaration of principle on June 19 reaffirming their commitment to a permanent ceasefire.
But fresh attacks on civilians by the M23 and other armed groups killed at least 319 civilians in July, UN rights chief Volker Turk said this week.
Violence in the region has left thousands dead, according to Kinshasa and the United Nations, and exacerbated a humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
President Tshisekedi, in office since 2019, was re-elected in December 2023 with more than 73 percent of the vote, and parties in his coalition won around 90 percent of the seats in legislative elections held on the same day.
Newly appointed to the cabinet, Muzito and Anzuluni also ran in the 2023 presidential election as opposition candidates, garnering about one percent of the vote and less than a tenth of the vote respectively. — NNN-AGENCIES