In a strongly worded message posted on his social media, the Member of Parliament laments the noticeable absence of Congolese stakeholders from a process that directly concerns them. \u201cCongolese, both leaders and citizens, we should be ashamed today,\u201d he wrote \u2014 a sharp rebuke that reflects growing frustration over the external management of Congolese affairs.<\/p>\n
A meeting without the main stakeholders<\/p>\n
In Lom\u00e9, African leaders, international partners, and regional organizations have gathered to explore solutions to the enduring conflict in eastern DRC. But according to Claude Lubaya, while the initiative may be well-intentioned, it underscores a troubling paradox: solutions to Congolese problems are increasingly being discussed outside the country \u2014 and without Congolese voices at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould it really be that for our own problems, brothers and sisters from across Africa must gather somewhere in Lom\u00e9 to think on our behalf?\u201d he asked. To Lubaya, this lack of direct involvement is a sign of \u201cour level of unconsciousness and irresponsibility,\u201d both from the nation\u2019s leadership and from a disengaged population.<\/p>\n
A historic parallel, heavy with meaning<\/p>\n
Lubaya draws a striking parallel between today\u2019s meeting in Lom\u00e9 and the infamous 1885 Berlin Conference, where colonial powers divided African territories with no input from the African people.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Lom\u00e9, just as in Berlin, foreigners look down on us as they trace out our destiny on our behalf \u2014 65 years after independence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Invoking Lumumba\u2019s vision<\/p>\n
The politician ends his message by quoting Congo\u2019s independence hero, Patrice Lumumba: \u201cThe history of Congo will be written by its own children.\u201d A promise of self-determination, which Lubaya believes has not been fulfilled. \u201cIt won\u2019t be written in Washington, Brussels or Paris. And yet, that is exactly what\u2019s happening today, before our very eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
A call for collective responsibility<\/p>\n
More than a critique, Lubaya\u2019s message is a call for national awakening. He urges both leaders and ordinary citizens to reclaim ownership over national issues, to engage in meaningful dialogue, and to reject the idea that the country\u2019s future can or should be decided in foreign capitals.<\/p>\n
As Congo marks more than six decades of independence, this reminder of national shame highlights a painful truth: without active and responsible participation from Congolese themselves, even the most well-meaning external efforts risk perpetuating dependence and marginalization.<\/p>\n
Profile \u2013 Who is Claude Lubaya?<\/p>\n
Claude Nyamugabo Lubaya is a well-known political figure in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The son of Andr\u00e9 Guillaume Lubaya \u2014 a former minister and outspoken opponent of the Mobutu regime who was assassinated in 1968 \u2014 Claude Lubaya has served as governor of Kasa\u00ef Occidental, as a national MP, and as a vocal reform advocate. Known for his principled stances, he frequently speaks out on matters of sovereignty, institutional integrity, and democratic accountability. Lubaya is widely respected for his consistent call for a moral and political overhaul of the Congolese state.<\/p>\n
Background \u2013 Ongoing crisis in Eastern DRC<\/p>\n
For more than two decades, eastern DRC has been the epicenter of repeated violence involving both local and foreign armed groups. The North Kivu region, in particular, is facing a renewed crisis with the resurgence of the M23 rebel group \u2014 which Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting, a claim Kigali denies. The conflict has displaced millions and severely undermined regional stability. Despite various peace initiatives, a lasting solution remains elusive, leaving civilian populations to bear the brunt of a conflict that seems to have no end in sight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a strongly worded message posted on his social media, the Member of Parliament laments the noticeable absence of Congolese stakeholders from a process that directly concerns them. \u201cCongolese, both leaders and citizens, we should be ashamed today,\u201d he wrote \u2014 a sharp rebuke that reflects growing frustration over the external management of Congolese affairs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"0","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Kinshasa \u2013 As Lom\u00e9, the capital of Togo, hosts a high-level meeting focused on the security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the reaction from Congolese opposition politician Claude Nyamugabo Lubaya has sparked serious reflection on the country\u2019s sovereignty and political agency."},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_review":[],"enable_review":"","type":"percentage","name":"","summary":"","brand":"","sku":"","good":[],"bad":[],"score_override":"","override_value":"","rating":[],"price":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5314,5311],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-international"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18067"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18070,"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18067\/revisions\/18070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivuavenir.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}