Kabila says DR Congo 'is no longer a republic'
In a video address, the former president accused his successor of personal rule and called for a national dialogue to end the war in the east.
Kinshasa — The former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, has said the country is in peril and accused the government of his successor of personal rule, Africanews reports.
Speaking on Friday on a YouTube channel called "Reconstruct the DRC", Kabila said the situation had "steadily worsened". The country, he said, "is no longer a Republic, much less a democratic one".
He did not name President Félix Tshisekedi. But he attacked rule by the "sole will of the head of state" and said the state was being treated as its owner's private property.
The charges
Kabila condemned what he called "the institutionalization of tribalism and nepotism", discrimination against minorities, the use of state power for political ends and the mismanagement of public assets.
The war
He said continuing the war in the east would not solve the country's political and security problems, and criticised the position that dialogue "is not an option".
He called for an inclusive national dialogue to reconcile Congolese and restore democracy and the rule of law. In May last year he set out a 12-point plan that included an end to the war, the withdrawal of foreign troops and the neutralising of armed groups.
The government's own dialogue
Tshisekedi launched a "National Dialogue for Peace, Cohesion, and the Refounding of the State" in August. The presidency says it will run for three months, beginning at local level. Kabila's allies dispute its format and want guarantees that it will be inclusive.
Fighting continues between the army and the AFC/M23 rebels, who are backed by Rwanda. Mediation by the United States and Qatar has not yet produced a settlement.
This report is based on reporting by Africanews.
