Author: Emmanuel Mbala

A nascent department at the heart of party renewal The Republic of Congo’s political cartography has just been redrawn with the advent of the Nkéni-Alima department. Its six districts—Gomboma, Makotipoko, Ongony, Ollombo, Abala and Allembé—have been detached from the historical Plateaux region, giving local actors a fresh institutional arena. Far from being a purely administrative exercise, the change anchors the Congolese Party of Labour (PCT) more firmly in a territory described by observers as both demographically dynamic and agriculturally promising, aligning with the national objective of balanced regional development championed by President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Yves Fortuné Moundele-Ngollo Ehourossia takes…

Symbolic Return to a Global Stage The marble-lined gallery of the United Nations General Assembly welcomed a familiar silhouette at the opening of its 80th session. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who last addressed the hemicycle in 2022, chose the anniversary gathering to mark his return and, by extension, to reaffirm the Republic of Congo’s multilateral vocation. The timing is laden with symbolism: as the United Nations commemorates eighty years of existence, Member States are invited to reflect on the founding promise of cooperation that emerged from the ruins of the Second World War. For Brazzaville, whose diplomatic tradition is anchored…

Diplomatic Bearings on the Libyan Chessboard Fourteen years after the fall of Tripoli’s previous regime, Libya’s political landscape remains fractured, yet a renewed multilateral drive is injecting cautious optimism. On 18 September, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, in his capacity as chair of the African Union’s High-Level Committee on Libya, received UN Special Representative Anna Tetteh in Brazzaville. The encounter, their first since the Ghanaian diplomat took office early this year, was described by both sides as “constructive” and “forward-looking”. Sources familiar with the meeting underline that the exchange consolidated a shared conviction: only a meticulously sequenced dialogue, under joint AU-UN…

Beijing’s public tribute to Moroccan stability In the ceremonial setting of the Chinese capital on 19 September, Foreign Minister Wang Yi chose unusually direct language to salute “the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI” and to link that leadership to what he described as Morocco’s enviable domestic stability. Coming from a senior member of the Chinese State Council, the compliment went beyond protocol. It projected Beijing’s conviction that Rabat represents, in a region beset by volatility, an anchor reliable enough to serve as an entry point for initiatives that require predictability, security and long-term perspective. A partnership framed by…

From Brazzaville to New York, a Deliberate Diplomatic Signal The Republic of the Congo’s Head of State, Denis Sassou Nguesso, left Brazzaville on Friday bound for New York to take part in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. His presence underscores the country’s commitment to a forum that, for eight decades, has sought to balance global peace, development and the protection of human rights. The theme chosen this year—“Better Together, 80 Years and Beyond for Peace, Development and Human Rights”—resonates with the Congolese leader’s long-standing advocacy of dialogue as the cornerstone of international relations. By appearing on…

Diplomatic momentum in Cap-Haïtien Cap-Haïtien’s seafront, still marked by the echoes of Toussaint Louverture’s republican optimism, provided a symbol-laden backdrop to the visit of Lydie Pongault, Minister of Cultural, Tourism, Artistic Industries and Leisure of the Republic of Congo. Received on 17 September by her Haitian counterpart Patrick Delatour, the Congolese envoy carried a sealed letter from President Denis Sassou Nguesso to the Transitional Presidential Council, formally requesting Port-au-Prince’s support for the candidacy of Firmin Édouard Matoko for the 2025-2029 mandate at the helm of UNESCO. The Haitian minister, himself an architect by training and a long-time advocate of heritage…

Trust: The Invisible Currency of National Cohesion Across the Republic of Congo, the question of confidence—this subtle but decisive inclination to believe that the other will do no harm—has quietly moved to the centre of public conversations. When neighbours hesitate to lend a hand, when professionals suspect hidden agendas, and when institutions appear distant, the social fabric thins. Trust, by definition, presupposes a sense of security anchored in honesty, objectivity and an admitted fallibility. Without those virtues, the sense of community falters, opening the way to doubt and ultimately to confrontation. From Mistrust to Defiance: A Slippery Psychological Path The…

Farewell to a Patriarch of the PCT The soft morning light of 17 September filtered through the columns of Brazzaville’s downtown cemetery as the flag-draped coffin of Vital Balla was carried to its final resting place. Party cadres, government representatives and a cross-section of civil society stood in solemn silence, conscious that they were witnessing the departure of one of the last living architects of the Congolese Party of Labour. From the rostrum, Secretary-General Pierre Moussa evoked a man whose “force of conviction and unwavering commitment to peace made him an icon of our national story.” At the request of…

Strategic land allocation for potash export hub The Council of Ministers convened on 17 September 2025 at the Palais du Peuple under the high authority of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Foremost among the measures adopted was the authorisation for the Chinese-Congolese firm Luyuan des Mines Congo to occupy 577 hectares in the Hollmoni area of Loango, Kouilou. The decree converts a state land reserve into an industrial zone slated for a deep-water port dedicated to potash pellets. Valued at over 200 million US dollars, the investment is projected to generate roughly 1 500 jobs during construction and more than 800…

Symbolic Diplomacy at Bangui Summit When the six Heads of State of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa converged on Bangui for the sixteenth CEMAC Conference, protocol quickly gave way to symbolism. In the gilded halls of the Palais de la Reconnaissance, 193 personalities were decorated, including all incumbent leaders of the sub-region and the President of the CEMAC Commission, Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o, each elevated to Grand-Commander of the Order of Community Merit. The gesture, rare in scale, publicly reaffirmed a collective commitment to the regional project at a moment when external shocks and fiscal tightening test cohesion…