Author: Congo Times

Judicial Injunction Disrupts National Football The ordinary general meeting of the Congolese Football Federation, scheduled for 4 October in Brazzaville, was abruptly postponed after a new ordinance was signed by the senior investigating judge of the city’s Tribunal de grande instance. The ruling, which reached stakeholders only through social networks, effectively suspended a statutory event that normally calibrates the federation’s technical, financial and electoral agenda for the coming season. Second vice-president Carle Boniface Malalou informed the delegates, noting that the federation itself had received no formal notification. “We were all surprised,” he said, “to discover on Friday afternoon a decision…

Fresh Financing Deepens Franco-Congolese Cooperation In Brazzaville on 2 October, Minister of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio Christian Yoka and French Ambassador Claire Bodonyi affixed their signatures to an addendum channeling an extra CFA 1 billion 968 million into the Telema programme, the flagship vehicle for productive inclusion of vulnerable Congolese (Ministry of Finance communiqué, 3 Oct.). By choosing the Lingala word for “stand up”, policy-makers have framed Telema as both a social contract and a diplomatic gesture, since the funding flows from the Debt Reduction and Development Contract (C2D) that has linked the two republics since 2010. For Paris,…

An Underestimated Epidemic in Brazzaville From his consulting room at the University Hospital Centre of Brazzaville, endocrinologist, diabetologist and nutritionist Dr Rolly Junior Louzolo Kimbembe voices a concern that remains curiously absent from many public debates: obesity is gaining ground, yet it is still approached with a striking lack of urgency. Questioned by the Congolese Information Agency, the physician recalled that the condition springs from a persistent imbalance between caloric intake and energy expenditure. In his words, it is described as “primary” when rooted in lifestyle or heredity, and “secondary” when hormonal disorders drive the weight gain. Although no recent…

A measured continental panorama From the Baltic coast to the Balkans, Congolese footballers continue to add nuance to the competitive tapestries of Europe’s elite and subsidiary divisions. The weekend fixtures of 6-8 October offered a revealing cross-section of form, fitness and tactical deployment for players who remain eligible for the Red Devils of Congo-Brazzaville. While one headline belongs unambiguously to Christopher Ibayi’s clinical contribution in Switzerland, the collective narrative is richer, speaking to rotation decisions, disciplinary learning curves and the resilience demanded by club and country calendars. Poland: Charpentier’s enforced hiatus persists For the third consecutive match-day, Cracovia Kraków published…

A national drive against silent killers The marble halls of Brazzaville’s Radisson Blu briefly turned pink and blue on 2 October 2025, when Minister of Health and Population Professor Jean-Rosaire Ibrara inaugurated the joint “Octobre Rose–Novembre Bleu” campaign. Flanked by the recently appointed World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, and a cross-section of oncologists, faith leaders and patient advocates, the minister set an ambitious tone. Under the banner “All United Against Cancer”, the government seeks to weave prevention, early detection and equitable treatment into the fabric of public life, in keeping with the National Health…

A First Plenary for the Newly Elected Commissioners For four concentrated days, from 22 to 25 September 2025, the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Congo (CNDH) held its inaugural ordinary session at the institution’s headquarters in Brazzaville. Chaired by its president, Casimir Ndomba, the gathering marked the first occasion on which the commissioners, elected in May, have deliberated as a full body. The atmosphere in the plenary hall was described by participants as both “studious and solemn”, an observation that matched the weight of the agenda: the adoption of the commission’s foundational texts and the crafting of…

A rising literary voice from Brazzaville On a humid September evening at the Institut français du Congo, the soft rustle of pages gave way to sustained applause as Octave Mouandza signed copies of his latest work, “Longue vie pour rien”. The poet-turned-storyteller, who also serves as Brazzaville’s departmental director of arts and letters, steps into prose with a collection that critics immediately hailed as a fresh milestone for Congolese letters. At eighty-two concise pages, the volume may appear slim, yet the seven narratives it shelters expand far beyond their physical confines, sketching a mosaic of contemporary life that resonates well…

A notorious curve etched in drivers’ memories Every seasoned motorist heading north from Brazzaville can point out the exact moment tranquillity gives way to adrenaline: the abrupt right-hand turn known locally as the Mbamba bend. Wedged just beyond the hamlet of Inoni falaise, the curve combines a steep gradient, scant shoulder space and a descent hemmed in by discreet ravines. Steering errors here are unforgiving, a reality taught by the long convoy of timber trucks, inter-city buses and private cars that negotiate the spot daily. The road demands an immediate downshift, a firm press on the brake and a split-second…

World Architecture Day 2025 highlights resilient design The International Union of Architects (UIA) has selected “Design for Resilience” as the guiding theme for World Architecture Day, to be observed on 6 October 2025. The message is unambiguous: in an era marked by climatic volatility, health emergencies and geopolitical uncertainty, the built environment must be able not only to withstand shocks but also to foster social continuity once crises abate. From New York to Nairobi, practitioners are preparing case studies that document low-carbon materials, circular construction techniques and community-centred planning. Brazzaville is no exception. In a nationwide address released to coincide…

Diplomatic continuity at the Paris mission In the subdued elegance of the embassy’s Salle Verte overlooking the Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg, Congolese diplomats gathered on 3 October to salute the close of Jean Félix Mokiemo’s six-year assignment as minister counsellor. Ambassador Rodolphe Adada reminded the audience that rotation is the lifeblood of any foreign service, a cadence set by Brazzaville’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. “A diplomat may feel he has taken root in one post,” he noted, “yet duty calls him elsewhere.” The sentence captured the ethos of continuity…