Tshisekedi names Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde new DRC prime minister

16 February 2021
Share this story

Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi appointed Monday Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde as Prime Minister.

Mr. Sama Lukonde Kyenge, 43, was until Monday the General Director of the state mining company Gécamines (General Quarries and Mines), the country’s mining flagship project, a position to which he was appointed by Tshisekedi in June 2019.

Lukonde was also once a sports minister and a former party member of the ex-Katanga governor and wealthy businessman Moïse Katumbi. He had switched allegiance from Katumbi to Tshisedi led the party in 2018.

Mr. Katumbi, who has in turn supported Mr. Tshisekedi in recent months, welcomed the appointment of the new Prime Minister: “I wish him every success in his duties, among which peace and security for all Congolese remain the major challenge of government action.”

The largest country in sub-Saharan Africa with a turbulent political history, the DRC experienced its first peaceful transition at the top of the state on January 24, 2019, when former President Kabila handed over power to former opponent Felix Tshisekedi, who was declared the winner of the controversial presidential election of December 2018.

Tshisekedi then led the country in coalition with Kabila’s party, the Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC), which won the majority in parliament in legislative elections held on the same day as the presidential election.

The simmering crisis within the coalition erupted after the controversial appointment of three judges to the Constitutional Court by the head of state in July, followed by their swearing-in in October.

President Félix Tshisekedi and his two new allies still do not agree on the appointments of several heads of major institutions, following the end of the alliance between him and former president Joseph Kabila.

Tshisekedi, who took office in January 2019 but has been frustrated by a coalition government with Kabila’s allies, who won parliamentary majorities in the same election.

By controlling a majority in Parliament, President Tshisekedi would be able to nominate a cabinet of his choosing after two years in which Kabila’s allies have dominated the major ministries.

Tshisekedi now hopes to form a new majority in parliament by winning over members of Kabila’s coalition.

Last Posts

President Putin announces Easter ceasefire

President of Russia Vladimir Putin announces Easter ceasefire

Share this story

Share this storyDuring a meeting at the Kremlin with the Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov President Vladimir Putin declared that the Russian Side is ceasing all military action starting…

16 February 2021

On April 17, 2025, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has a phone conversation with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio

Share this story

Share this storyOn April 17, 2025, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation. Secretary Rubio, who is currently in Paris, informed the Russian side…

16 February 2021

In the first installment of the Two Shores Dialogue series, two journalists — Ma Jiaying from China and Héribert Adjovi from Africa — exchange insights on the pressing issues of our time: rising trade protectionism, the shifting global order, and the long-term consequences of tariff wars. Reflecting on the legacy of the Bandung Conference, they advocate for renewed solidarity among the Global South, grounded in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. A powerful, thoughtful dialogue that bridges continents and visions.

Beyond the tariff crisis, it’s time to take a fair look at globalisation… 70 years after the Bandung Conference

Share this story

Share this story‘A LOOK FROM BOTH SIDES’ is first and foremost an interesting Dialogue between two Friends, two eminent Journalists and a crossed vision of two media professionals, one Chinese and the other African (Beninese)…

16 February 2021

South-Africas-Government-of-Natiomall-Unity-on-the-brink-of-collapse-Picture-credit-Malawi-24.

THERE’S A SENSE THAT SA’S GNU IS TEETERING ON THE EDGE COLLAPSE

Share this story

Share this storyBy ABBEY MAKOE By all accounts, South Africa’s conundrum that is the Government of National Unity (GNU) will likely fester into a debilitating wound before it gets healed anytime soon. The revelation of…

16 February 2021

The world has now become irreversibly multipolar, a reality America’s ruling elites are refusing to accept.Photo | Mandar Pardika

US-China trade war: Standing up to the playground bully

Share this story

Share this storyToday’s China is not yesterday’s Soviet Union. Nor is Trump’s America the sole superpower. Anyone trying to push back the clock of history will get hurt https://www.newindianexpress.com/author/sudheendra-kulkarni The global tariff ‘war’ unleashed by…

16 February 2021

Panelists speak during the "Critical Raw Materials in the Age of Competition" session held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, Turkiye on April 12, 2025.

Critical raw materials in age of competition discussed at Antalya Diplomacy Forum

Share this story

Share this storyPanel addresses geopolitical, economic, strategic importance of underground resources Sercan Irkin and Zehra Nur Celik  |13.04.2025 – Update : 13.04.2025 ANTALYA, Türkiye The “Critical Raw Materials in the Age of Competition” panel was…

16 February 2021

Related Stories