Author: Emmanuel Tshibanda

A Boulevard Reborn for a Milestone Celebration Shortly after ten o’clock on 15 August 2025, Brazzaville’s recently refurbished General Alfred Raoul Boulevard offered a striking stage for the Republic of the Congo’s 65th anniversary of independence. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, accompanied by First Lady Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, presided over the ceremonies before a grandstand that brought together leaders of all constitutional institutions, the diplomatic corps and an unusually large civilian audience. According to local daily Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, the renovation of the boulevard had been fast-tracked to emphasise “the capital’s new face” ahead of the festivities (Les Dépêches de…

A stadium reclaimed for civic harmony The refurbished Omnisports Stadium of Kinkala, once an understated municipal venue, now stands polished and symbolically recalibrated. Local authorities completed an accelerated sanitation and renovation campaign in late July, responding to Mayor Edwige Ndebeka Biyengui’s call for a “population that remains obedient, cohesive and forward-looking.” The operation, executed largely by volunteer residents, did more than remove debris; it repositioned public space at the centre of a regional dialogue on coexistence. Whether grass was clipped or terraces repainted, every gesture served as a tacit reminder that physical infrastructure is inseparable from the social contract it…

Sahelian Upheavals Revive a Half-Century Question In Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey, military juntas justify their ascent by denouncing a lingering French stranglehold. The rhetorical power of this stance is undeniable, even if Paris today wields far fewer levers than it did during the Cold War. Polling remains scarce, but spontaneous street demonstrations and repeated attacks on French symbols suggest a genuine popular echo, particularly among urban youth born well after independence (Le Monde, 2025). The wave has now reached the Atlantic façade: Senegal’s request for the closure of French bases signals that even the most reliable partners are recalculating their…

Diplomatic Overture in the Heart of Europe The arrival in Vienna of Jean-Marc Thystère-Tchicaya and Rosalie Matondo, flanked by Ambassador Édith Itoua, signalled more than a routine investment road-show. Vienna’s Hofburg, long accustomed to discreet shuttle diplomacy, hosted a ceremony in which the Congolese cabinet members and the Austrian venture ASC Impact initialed protocols covering an eventual multibillion-euro package for forestry, agro-industry and a new enclave within the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Oyo-Ollombo. Former Federal President Heinz Fischer and former agriculture minister Elisabeth Köstinger offered political imprimatur, underscoring Austria’s desire to project climate leadership beyond the EU’s eastern frontier.…