Kinshasa. The two rival political camps in DR Congo Friday forged a pact on forming a government, six months after President Felix Tshisekedi took power from veteran ruler Joseph Kabila, officials said.

Tshisekedi was elected in December to replace Kabila who presided over sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly two decades.

He took power at the end of January but has struggled to form a government as Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament as well as provincial assemblies.

Tshisekedi's CACH alliance in the legislature has been holding tortuous talks with the FCC to break the stalemate.

"An agreement has just been reached on Friday between the FCC and CACH," Nehemie Mwilanya, the coordinator of the pro-Kabila alliance, announced on Twitter.

He said Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunkamba, who was proposed by Kabila and backed by Tshisekedi, could be formally nominated as early as next week.

"This will be a government of 65 members: 42 coming from the FCC and 23 from CACH," said Jean-Baudouin Mayo, a negotiator for CACH.

Mwilanya said both sides had made "reciprocal concessions" but neither provided details on who would get key ministries such as interior, defence, economy, finance and mining.

"Now we are going to join forces. That is to say we will be of the same political family," Tshisekedi said a month ago.

Tshisekedi emerged victorious in elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast mineral-rich country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

But the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push ahead with pledges of reform. </s> The two rival political camps in DR Congo Friday forged a pact on forming a government, six months after President Felix Tshisekedi took power from veteran ruler Joseph Kabila, officials said.

Tshisekedi was elected in December to replace Kabila who presided over sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly two decades.

He took power at the end of January but has struggled to form a government as Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament as well as provincial assemblies.

Kabila's supporters also dominated elections for governorships across the country.

The current, outgoing government comprises ministers from the Kabila era.

Tshisekedi's CACH alliance in the legislature has been holding tortuous talks with the FCC to break the stalemate.

"An agreement has just been reached on Friday between the FCC and CACH," Nehemie Mwilanya, the coordinator of the pro-Kabila alliance, announced on Twitter.

He said Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunkamba, who was proposed by Kabila and backed by Tshisekedi, could be formally nominated as early as next week.

"This will be a government of 65 members: 42 coming from the FCC and 23 from CACH," said Jean-Baudouin Mayo, a negotiator for CACH.

Mwilanya said both sides had made "reciprocal concessions" but neither provided details on who would get key ministries such as interior, defence, economy, finance and mining.

"Now we are going to join forces. That is to say we will be of the same political family," Tshisekedi said a month ago.

The opposition views Tshisekedi as a puppet of Kabila.

Tshisekedi emerged victorious in elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast mineral-rich country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

But the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push ahead with pledges of reform.

The unstable country's politics remain overshadowed by Kabila, who amassed extensive clout after 18 years in power.

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- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter </s> Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, 73, is a native of the former Katanga province. "He is a technocrat and a professor in Economics with a long experience in government and administration," says Israel Mutala, analyst and editor in chief of the Congolese online newspaper 7sur7.

Until recently, Ilunkamba was executive director of the National Railway Company (SNCC). He was Deputy Minister four times and twice Minister of Planning and Finance, in the 80's, under the regime of President Mobutu Sese Seko. He came out of retirement as the compromise candidate between the new President, Felix Tshisekedi, and his vanquished predecessor Joseph Kabila, who's Common Front for Congo (FCC) holds absolute majority in Parliament.

It took four long months for the two men to agree on a prime-minister. Other names put forward by Kabila were rejected by Tshisekedi. That was the case for Kabila's favorite, Albert Yuma, chairman of the board of directors of the state-controlled mining corporation Gécamines. Tshisekedi and some international players saw Yuma as too much of Kabila's man to allow for a real change of the system.

For the new president, Ilunga Ilunkamba has other advantages as well. "He was chosen because he is not divisive or too politically charged. He has a conciliatory and effacing personality. I think the president opted for someone who is not likely to eclipse him," Mutala told DW. The analyst sees this as a good sign. "We are still a fragile state. We need compromises to function." The agreement cements a coalition. This will work better for stability than its alternative, cohabitation, which would be bound to create conflicts, he explained.

Ilunga Ilunkamba himself reacted to the nomination in his trademark sober way, promising to spare no efforts to better the lives of ordinary citizens through transparency and good governance. "I pledge to mobilize all my capacities to make the coalition work harmoniously at the government level," he said.

The new prime-minister has his work cut out for him. He must form a cabinet which will satisfy everyone, including his own FCC alliance of more than 18 political parties. FCC Member of Parliament Pius Muabilu told DW he was happy with the choice of this "very experienced man," for the position, but added: "We'll have to wait and see how he does."

On the streets of Kinshasa people for the most part seem to have adopted this "wait-and-see" strategy too. "Let's see what Mr. Ilunkamba will do for the country," one citizen told DW. Another added: "It took too long to nominate a prime-minister. You can't just let the president govern the country for four months without anyone controlling his actions."

At least the opposition is bound to step up its control of the government. On Tuesday, May 21, after three years of exile in Belgium, opposition leader Moise Katumbi returned to the DR Congo. This was possible after his conviction for alleged property fraud - an accusation he denied – and ensuing three-year jail term, were annulled. "Katumbi's return is an eloquent sign for abating political tensions. Tshisekedi promised to promote reconciliation and he made Katumbi's return possible," said analyst Mutala, adding that this was a very positive development, which would "strengthen national cohesion."

Kept from running himself in the December 30, 2018 election, Katumbi backed a fellow wealthy businessman, Martin Fayulu, who claimed he was denied victory thanks to a back-room deal between Kabila and Tshisekedi. Back home, Katumbi has yet to make clear what political role he plans to play now. "He said he wants to be constructive and support the president wherever he works for greater democratization. But one thing is clear: Moise Katumbi is already preparing his bid for the presidency in 2023," Mutala said. </s> KINSHASA (Reuters) - Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba, a career politician and ally of former President Joseph Kabila, was appointed as Democratic Republic of Congo’s prime minister on Monday, the government said in a statement.

Ilukamba was previously the head of Congo’s national railway company, known as the SNCC, and has served in various government posts since the 1970s, according to an official biography released on Monday.

Felix Tshisekedi won long-delayed presidential elections in Dec. 30, 2018, defeating a candidate officially backed by Kabila, whose own term limit was up.

Opposition politicians say the result was rigged in a secret deal between Kabila’s and Tshisekedi’s camps under which Kabila would officially step down but maintain control, a charge they both denied.

Forming a new government has taken months, in part because of disagreements over the appointment of a Prime Minister. Kabila had wanted Tshisekedi to appoint Albert Yuma, a Kabila ally and chairman of state mining company Gecamines, but Tshisekedi refused because of Yuma’s checkered history, sources familiar with the matter said.

Under Congo’s constitution, the candidate must come from the ranks of the parliamentary majority, Kabila’s Common Front for Congo (FCC). Ilukamba is also from Katanga, the same mineral-rich part of the country as Kabila.

Despite concerns, the appointment marks at least an official move on from Kabila’s 18-year rule. On Monday, Congolese opposition leader Moise Katumbi returned home from three years in exile, one of a series of indicted politicians cleared under Tshisekedi’s administration.

Thousands of supporters came out to welcome Katumbi at the airport in Lubumbashi, the main city in his political heartland in the copper-mining Katanga region.

“I’m happy to be back home, the truth always triumphs,” he said.

Tshisekedi has pardoned 700 prisoners including three political opponents of his predecessor Joseph Kabila since coming to power in January.

His supporters say the moves point to a new era political openness after years of suppression of opposition figures.

Katumbi fled the country in May 2016 in the face of accusations he had hired mercenaries as part of a plot against Kabila’s government.

He was then sentenced in absentia to three years in prison for real estate fraud - both charges his supporters said were aimed at preventing him from running in an election to replace Kabila.

But Katumbi’s fraud conviction was overturned by an appeals court last month. And prosecutors said they had also dropped their investigations into the mercenary accusations “given that the president of the republic has made easing political tensions his priority”. </s> Lubumbashi (DR Congo) (AFP) - DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday named a government veteran, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, as the next prime minister, a move that came nearly four months after his inauguration.

Ilunga Ilunkamba was appointed under "the political agreement" between Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila "regarding the creation of a coalition government," presidential spokesman Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba said.

Illunga Ilunkamba, whose government career spans decades, replaces Bruno Tshibala, who had been appointed by Kabila in 2017. Ilunga Ilunkamba's aides gave his age as 78.

Tshisekedi was sworn in on January 24 after elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

But the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push through with pledges of reform.

The country's politics remain overshadowed by Kabila, who amassed extensive clout after 18 years in power.

His political allies retain the upper hand in parliament, provincial assemblies and governorships across the unstable country. His men also play a major role in security services.

Ilunga Ilunkamba, speaking to the press after meeting Tshisikedi, said, " I would like to thank his excellency, Joseph Kabila Kabange, who proposed me as prime minister and assured me of his trust."

He vowed to throw himself into ensuring the "harmonious governance of the coalition."

Tshisekedi told him the priorities would be "social, meaning education, health, security and establishing peace," he said.

A PhD in economics from the University of Kinshasa, Ilunga Ilunkamba began his political career under former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was overthrown in 1997.

His long record in government includes four spells as vice minister and two as minister for planning and finance. Prior to his new appointment, he was director general of the DRC's railway corporation, the SNCC.

- Katumbi returns -

Story continues

Meanwhile, thousands of people welcomed Moise Katumbi, a prominent foe of Kabila, as he landed at Lubumbashi airport on Monday after three years in self-imposed exile.

Katumbi, 54, a wealthy businessman of mixed Greek and Congolese origin, served as the elected governor of Katanga in southeastern DR Congo before the province was divided up in a territorial revision.

He was once an ally of Kabila but the pair fell out. Katumbi was given a three-year jail term in absentia for alleged property fraud -- an accusation he denied -- and was barred from standing in last December's elections.

The conviction was annulled before Katumbi flew back to his homeland three years to the day after he left for Belgium.

"The truth always triumphs in the end," Katumbi, the owner and president of the renowned TP ("All Powerful") Mazemba football club, told his fans at the airport.

"I return for peace and for national reconstruction in our country," he said.

Katumbi returned in a private jet to find supporters, many dressed in white, lining the road between the airport and the centre of Lubumbashi, now the capital of mineral-rich Haut-Katanga province.

He has also been an opponent of Tshisekedi and has yet to make clear what role he plans to play.

In the December 30 election, Katumbi backed Martin Fayulu, another wealthy businessman, who claims he was denied victory thanks to a back-room deal between Kabila and Tshisekedi.

Monday's developments coincided with a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the highest-ranking European official to come to Kinshasa since the election.

The French minister pledged "a programme of 300 million euros ($335 million) for the duration of Mr Tshisekedi's mandate" in sectors including development, training, health, security, agriculture and energy. </s> KINSHASA, July 26 (Reuters) - Allies of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila said they had reached an agreement on Friday on the division of cabinet posts between the two political camps.

Negotiations have dragged on since Tshisekedi's inauguration in January. They have been seen as a test of the power balance between the president and Kabila, who governed Democratic Republic of Congo for 18 years and maintains significant influence over state institutions.

It will also control the ministry of the public portfolio, which oversees state companies like copper and cobalt miner Gecamines, a joint venture partner of Glencore and China Molybdenum , they said.

Tshisekedi's CACH coalition will control the fourth main ministry, foreign affairs, as well as the ministries of the interior, budget and economy, the sources said.

The FCC's demands that it control of most of the highest-profile ministries by virtue of its sizable majorities in parliament had held up the talks.

"An agreement has just been found this Friday between the FCC and CACH," the FCC said in a tweet. "The FCC pays tribute to ... Joseph Kabila and his partner President Felix Tshisekedi for their positive drive and complete involvement."

Francois Muamba, who is close to Tshisekedi, also said on Twitter that a deal had been reached.

The three sources said the names of the ministers would be discussed over the weekend.

Jean-Baudouin Mayo, one of Tshisekedi's negotiators, said this week that the new government would have 65 members - 42 from Kabila's camp and 23 from Tshisekedi's - larger than any of Kabila's governments.

Kabila was barred by constitutional term limits from standing in the Dec. 30 election, leading to Congo's first transfer of power at the ballot box after decades marked by coups and civil conflict.

Tshisekedi won a surprise victory ahead of Kabila's preferred successor, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, and opposition leader Martin Fayulu.

Multiple sources told Reuters the results were rigged to prevent Fayulu, who was seen as more hostile to Kabila's interests than Tshisekedi, from winning.

Kabila and Tshisekedi's camps deny the vote was rigged or that they struck any deal before the results were announced.

Tshisekedi named Sylvestre Ilunga, a Kabila ally, as prime minister in May. The two sides also formed a coalition in parliament, but they have quarrelled over appointments and Tshisekedi's criticisms of Kabila's government as dictatorial and corrupt. </s> KINSHASA, July 26 (Reuters) - Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila reached an agreement on Friday to divide the main security and economic cabinet posts roughly evenly between their two camps, three sources familiar with the negotiations said.

Kabila's FCC and Tshisekedi's CACH coalitions both announced publicly that an agreement had been reached after six months of negotiations over the formation of a new government, but they did not immediately provide details.

The discussions since Tshisekedi's inauguration in January have been seen as a test of the power balance between Tshisekedi and Kabila, who governed Congo for 18 years and maintains significant influence over state institutions.

"An agreement has just been found this Friday between the FCC and CACH," the FCC said in a tweet. "The FCC pays tribute to ... Joseph Kabila and his partner President Felix Tshisekedi for their positive drive and complete involvement."

Francois Muamba, who is close to Tshisekedi, also said on Twitter that a deal had been reached. The three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the names of the ministers would be discussed over the weekend.

They said the FCC would control the ministries of defence, finance, justice as well as the ministry of the public portfolio, which oversees state companies like copper and cobalt miner Gecamines, a joint venture partner of Glencore and China Molybdenum .

CACH will control the ministries of the interior, foreign affairs, budget and economy, the sources said.

Kabila was barred by constitutional term limits from standing in the Dec. 30 election, leading to Congo's first transfer of power at the ballot box after decades marked by coups and civil conflict.

Tshisekedi won a surprise victory ahead of Kabila's preferred successor, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, and opposition leader Martin Fayulu.

Multiple sources told Reuters the results were rigged to prevent Fayulu, who was seen as more hostile to Kabila's interests than Tshisekedi, from winning.

Kabila and Tshisekedi's camps deny the vote was rigged or that they struck any deal before the results were announced.

Tshisekedi named Sylvestre Ilunga, a Kabila ally, as prime minister in May. The two sides also formed a coalition in parliament, but they have quarrelled over appointments and Tshisekedi's criticisms of Kabila's government as dictatorial and corrupt. </s> Félix Tshisekedi, pictured earlier this month, leads DR Congo's largest opposition party which was founded by his late father in 1982

The new president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, has been sworn into office.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta was the only African head of state, out of 17 invited, to watch the ceremony at the presidential palace in Kinshasa.

President Tshisekedi is taking over from Joseph Kabila in the first peaceful transfer of power in the country in nearly 60 years.

But many still dispute his victory in last month's presidential election.

Numerous sources say his opponent Martin Faylulu won a landslide victory and has been denied office by a backroom deal between Mr Kabila and Mr Tshisekedi.

The influential Catholic Church, which deployed election observers on voting day, said the official data did not match its own numbers.

Mr Fayulu's appeal to the Constitutional Court for a vote re-count was rejected, and critics say the body is too close to outgoing President Kabila and lacks independence.

Addressing the nation on Wednesday, Mr Kabila said he had no regrets and called on Congolese citizens to support his successor, who he said could call on him for advice at any time.

Yet many people there believe the handover demonstrates that DR Congo is becoming more democratic, the BBC's Gaïus Kowene in Kinshasa reports.

Félix Tshisekedi's father Etienne - featured in the mural - was a veteran opposition politician

The new president is mostly known for being the son of the late veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who was regarded as one of DR Congo's most important pro-democracy advocates.

The UDPS party President Tshisekedi leads was founded in 1982 by his father, who turned it into the largest opposition party. But President Tshisekedi, 55, insists he is not trying to rival his father.

Félix Tshisekedi comes to the presidency with little weight of expectation from beyond his own support base.

What was supposed to be the first democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960 looks tainted with strong suspicions that the outgoing president, Joseph Kabila, intends to exert control from behind the scenes.

Mr Tshisekedi's challenges are immense. His Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party did poorly in the elections, so he lacks the firm parliamentary base which might give him the means to assert his independence as president.

The senior echelons of the army and police are all appointees of the old regime. Removing them would be a significant sign that the new president means to be independent.

But would he risk challenging Joseph Kabila? It is highly unlikely. Félix Tshisekedi may find he has been handed the responsibility of the presidency but with little of the power. </s> ALEXIS HUGUET / AFP | DR Congo president Felix Tshisekedi (C) greets the crowd upon his arrival at the airport of Goma, North-Kivu Province, on April 14, 2019

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday named the head of the country's railways, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba, as the next prime minister, a move that came nearly four months after his inauguration.

Ilunga Ilukumba was appointed under a political agreement between Tshisekedi and his predecessor, Joseph Kabila, presidential spokesman Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba said.

Ilukamba was previously the head of Congo's national railway company, known as the SNCC. He was also finance minister under former president Mobutu Sese Seko.
President Félix Tshisekedi and the Congolese parliament, controlled by a rival party, agree to form a new government following negotiations, six months after he replaced Joseph Kabila during the 2018 DR Congo general election. Sylvestre Ilunga will be formally nominated for the post of Prime Minister in the coming week.