Author: Patrick Tshibangu

A solemn pledge in Moungali The modest courtyard that hosts the fresh headquarters of the Rassemblement des démocrates panafricains (RDP) in Moungali, Brazzaville’s fourth arrondissement, was unusually silent at the opening of Jean-Bonnard Moussodia’s first press conference as party leader. A minute of silence in honour of the late Guy-Brice Parfait Kolélas set the tone, before Moussodia allowed himself a measured smile: “We are gathered to give substance to a promise made to a brother,” he declared, stressing that the new formation wishes to steer clear of sterile polemics and devote its energy to “a constructive, institution-oriented opposition capable of…

Fresh Mandate, Elevated Expectations In the hushed auditorium of the Commission’s Brazzaville headquarters, newly elected chair Casimir Ndomba opened the inaugural session of the National Human Rights Commission with a pledge to infuse the institution with renewed momentum. The four-day meeting, held from 22 to 25 September 2025, reunited the commissioners appointed last May and signalled the operational start of a mandate that aspires, in Ndomba’s words, to make the Commission “a reference point for dignity in the Republic of the Congo”. The presence of United Nations Resident Coordinator Abdourahmane Diallo, alongside senior officials and representatives of the diplomatic corps,…

A Call Resounding in Brazzaville The afternoon heat of 14 September had scarcely begun to abate when delegates of the Rassemblement des Forces du Changement gathered for the final session of their founding assembly in the capital. From the podium, President Clément Mierassa let no rhetorical flourish obscure the gravity of his message: the nation, he said, stands at a crossroads. Without rancour but with unmistakable urgency, he invited his peers to embrace “the work that will usher in a profound mutation” of political practice in Congo-Brazzaville. From Diagnosis to Actionable Programme Mierassa’s speech offered more than an alarm bell;…

Gulf Capitals Spotlight Brazzaville’s Renewed Activism In the space of forty-eight hours, Minister of International Cooperation and Public-Private Partnership Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso has threaded together high-level meetings in Muscat, Doha and Kuwait City. The objective is unambiguous: consolidate a critical mass of endorsements for Firmin Édouard Matoko, Brazzaville’s official nominee to succeed Audrey Azoulay at the helm of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. By staging its campaign in the Gulf, Congo signals both a determination to diversify diplomatic alliances and an appreciation for the pivotal role Middle Eastern members play within UNESCO’s Executive Board. Speaking in…

Strategic Latitude and Longitude Stretching astride the Equator, the Republic of the Congo occupies a geographic hinge between the Gulf of Guinea and the interior of Central Africa. Its 160-kilometre Atlantic frontage may appear modest, yet it offers an invaluable outlet to world shipping lanes for land-locked neighbors, a fact that informs Brazzaville’s port and corridor diplomacy. Government planners have long understood that geography is destiny; hence the 2022 adoption of the National Spatial Planning Scheme, designed to synchronise transport arteries with mineral belts and biodiversity reserves (Ministry of Planning 2022). Rivers as Arteries of Statecraft No other feature rivals…