Shouting through megaphones, a dozen Congolese anti-French protesters waylaid commuters on a busy road in the capital Kinshasa and passed out leaflets to boost opposition to a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday.
Their campaign was part of a smattering of protests in Democratic Republic of Congo this week ahead of Macron’s arrival for the final leg of a central Africa tour during which he has sought to keep the focus away from politics.
Congo is not a former French colony, but perceptions of French support for Rwanda have stoked anti-French sentiment as eastern regions battle an offensive by the M23 rebel group that Congo accuses Rwanda of backing. Rwanda denies this.
Wearing a t-shirt with the slogan ‘Rwanda Is Killing,’ activist Tonny Djoli said France was turning its attention to Central Africa because of a breakdown in relations with former West African colonies.
“Macron is coming to Kinshasa to try and seduce us … because he understands that the majority of West Africa has turned its back on France,” he said.
Macron announced a new Africa strategy in a speech on Monday after a deepening security crisis in West Africa’s Sahel region fuelled anti-French protests and brought juntas to power in Burkina Faso and Mali which have rejected long-standing military ties.
Macron has repeatedly sought to shake off the tag of former colonial power motivated by commercial gain.
The schedule of the ongoing tour, which includes stops in Gabon, Angola, and Congo Republic for the first time in his presidency, suggests a focus on soft diplomacy with events linked to the environment and culture.
Nevertheless some Congolese are sceptical. Around hundred protesters chanted outside the French embassy on Wednesday.
One had scrawled ‘Macron, go away’ on its wall in large red letters.
On Thursday, protesters also tried to gather but were dispersed in Goma, the capital of the eastern province that is worst-affected by the M23 insurgency that has displaced over 600 000 people since last year.
“There are many expectations or frustrations (with France),” said Tresor Kibangula, a political analyst at the Ebuteli Institute, a Congolese research centre supported by New York University.
France’s interests in Mozambique and Central African Republic, where Rwandan troops are helping governments fight insurgents, meant Macron had a tricky diplomatic hand to play, he said.
“We know the French diplomacy has made a first step by acknowledging what is going on in Eastern Congo, by condemning Kigali’s support, now people are waiting to see the french president go further. Will he go further? That is the main question. Today the visible signals indicate that we can’t really imagine how President Macron could go beyond a condemnation of the Rwandan aggression and possible talk about possible sanctions against Kigali. That line remains difficult to consider,” Kibangula told Reuters on Wednesday.
France has joined Congo, the United Nations and other nations in accusing Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel offensive but faced criticism in Congo for not commenting sooner.
