Author: Congo Times

Persistent fuel shortage tests post-COVID recovery Queues at filling stations stretching into the early hours of the morning have become an unexpected barometer of economic sentiment in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. Since late May, intermittent shortages of gasoline and gasoil have rattled small businesses, public transport operators and households already coping with the lingering effects of the pandemic and global inflationary currents. The Ministry of Hydrocarbons attributes the crunch to a confluence of factors: scheduled maintenance at the Congolaise de raffinage (Coraf), unplanned shipping delays and a structural mismatch between fast-growing demand and domestic refining capacity. According to the African Development…

Continuity of Leadership and Institutional Memory The serene atmosphere that prevailed inside Brazzaville’s Palais des Congrès as the Association of Former Cadets of Congo (AET) gathered on 6 July 2025 belied the strategic significance of the ballot that followed. Without overt contest, delegates renewed their confidence in Rémy Ayayos Ikounga, a retired officer whose career bridges the academy’s austere courtyards of the 1970s and the intricate diplomatic circuits of today. Local dailies, including Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, reported a near-unanimous vote, underscoring the value members place on continuity and institutional memory. Ikounga’s acceptance speech, pledging to “steer our vessel with…

Contextualising Youth Vulnerability in Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of Congo, mirroring wider continental trends, confronts a delicate nexus of juvenile delinquency and gender-based violence that threatens both its social fabric and its long-term development outlook. Recent national crime data indicate a gradual rise in offences committed by minors, while civil-society organisations document persistent cases of violence against women and girls. These challenges do not occur in a vacuum; they are compounded by rapid urbanisation, limited employment prospects and the lingering psychological effects of past conflicts. Officials in Brazzaville increasingly frame the issue not merely as a policing matter but as a…

Alexandria’s Diplomatic Classroom as Soft Power Incubator The marble arcades of the University Senghor in Alexandria, Egypt, have long been regarded as a discreet laboratory for the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. During the fourth edition of its Diplomatic Class, held from mid-June to early July, thirty-six young officials immersed themselves in simulations of crisis management and multilateral bargaining. Among them stood Yves Fortuné Moundelé-Ngollo, deputy for Ongogni in Congo-Brazzaville and newly appointed first vice-president of the APF Youth Network. His graduation speech, observers noted, was less celebratory than programmatic: it framed capacity-building as a first line of defence for…

Academic Year Culminates Amid Optimism The closing ceremony at Saint Joseph Le Grand in Mfilou merged the solemnity of report-card distribution with the exuberance of a student-led showcase, drawing a standing ovation from parents, teachers and local officials. The scene, carefully choreographed yet disarmingly spontaneous, underscored a national calendar that has seen nearly 1.9 million Congolese pupils complete the 2023-2024 cycle, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. While end-of-term festivities are hardly new, the scale of engagement this year points to a growing realisation that ceremonial pageantry can serve as soft power in the…

A ceremonial handshake with strategic undertones Four days after presenting her credentials to President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Ambassador An Qing crossed the granite forecourt of the Ministry of National Defence in Brazzaville. Behind the formality of military salutes lay a quiet acceleration of the Sino-Congolese defence dialogue. The minister, General Charles Richard Mondjo, invoked what he called a “mature partnership anchored in mutual respect,” while the envoy spoke of ushering in a “new Golden Sixty,” a phrase that riffs on the six productive decades since diplomatic ties were forged in 1964 (Xinhua, 8 July 2024). The timing is emblematic. Brazzaville…

From Strasbourg to Brazzaville: A Career Forged in Multilateral Arenas Before her appointment as Special Adviser to President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Françoise Joly built a career that repeatedly placed her at the confluence of Franco-African relations. Formed at Sciences Po Strasbourg and later within France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, she quickly became known for her deft handling of multilateral negotiations in the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Her transition to Brazzaville in 2017 answered a presidential wish to reinforce the Republic of Congo’s representation in global fora and to attract climate-finance opportunities that smaller economies often fail to…

A Grassroots Voice with Diplomatic Resonance Few neighbourhood names in Brazzaville carry as much emotive heft as Ouenzé, cradle of bustling markets, music troupes and collective resilience. That heritage travelled across borders with the Congolese diaspora, giving birth in 2009 to the Ouenzé Intendance Association (AOI) in the Paris metropolitan area. While formally registered as a mutual-aid organisation, the AOI has gradually acquired a quasi-diplomatic function, relaying community expectations to both French municipal authorities and the Congolese embassy. The appointment of communication specialist Roch Le Prince Okouele as president therefore transcends a mere internal reshuffle; it hints at a repositioning…

A Delegation Steps onto Xinjiang’s Resonant Stage Urumqi’s crisp autumn air greeted a delegation of thirty-five journalists drawn from Africa, Europe and Central Asia, among them a contingent from Congo-Brazzaville’s Union des journalistes. Their first appointment was the cavernous Muqam Art Theatre, a modern venue whose façade is etched with motifs echoing the Taklamakan Desert. The visit, organised by the All-China Journalists Association, sought to showcase the narrative elasticity of Uyghur Muqam, a performing art that fuses poetry, dance and melodic cycles into what many musicologists call a “sonic chronicle” of the Silk Road. An Intangible Heritage Crowned by UNESCO…

A well-choreographed academic marathon When the last scripts of the BEPC are collected on 18 July, Congo-Brazzaville will have guided more than half a million pupils through a three-stage national evaluation cycle that began with the CEPE in early June. According to data released by the Ministry of Pre-School, Primary, Secondary and Literacy Education (MEPPSA), the country’s examination calendar has remained unperturbed by the regional disruptions that have occasionally affected Central Africa’s school systems (UNESCO 2024). The smooth sequencing—from primary gateways to the baccalauréat—has been interpreted by several diplomatic observers as a sign of administrative maturity and political stability. An…