Congo Appoints First Female Prime Minister Amid Eastern Violence Surge

Congolese President Felix  Tshisekedi ,on Monday appointed the country’s first female prime minister, fulfilling a campaign promise before his re-election  late last year.

During his five-year term, President Félix Tshisekedi demonstrated a commitment to women’s rights and better female representation in politics, but there is still a long way to go.

Read:https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20231216-a-feminist-president-women-s-rights-take-centre-stage-in-dr-congo-election

Former planning minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka will step into the role at a time of worsening violence in the country’s mineral-rich east, which borders Rwanda. The long-running conflict has displayed more than 7million people .

Read more: https://www.africanews.com/2024/03/14/drc-7-million-displaced-and-unprecedented-crisis-according-to-the-un/ according to the United Nations, making it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Tuluka promised to work toward peace and development in her first speech on state television following her appointment. Still, it could be months before a new government is formed as the process requires intensive negotiations with the many political parties.

“My thoughts go out to the east and to all corners of the country, which today are facing conflicts with enemies who are sometimes hidden,” she said, referring to the conflict that involves many armed groups, including some believed to be backed by Rwanda’s military. “I’m thinking of all these people, and my heart goes out to them.”

Far from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, Eastern Congo has long been overrun by more than 120 armed groups seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources as they carry out mass killing : https://www.un.org/africarenewal/news/dr-congo-un-boosts-force-east-after-gruesome-massacre-civilians

Before joining the DRC parliament, Tuluka worked as an economist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kinshasa, overseeing the Consolidation of Peace and Strengthening of Democracy. She also held the position of deputy coordinator at the Presidential Strategic Monitoring Council (CPVS), tasked with monitoring the President’s commitments.

In 2023, Tuluka was appointed Planning Minister, becoming the third woman in Lukonde’s cabinet. With a Master’s degree in applied economics and additional studies in Work in developing countries, she completed her education at the Free University of Brussels (ULB). Prior to her UNDP role, she interned at a bank.