Democratic Republic of Congo''s President Joseph Kabila arrives for a southern and central African leaders meeting to discuss political crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Luanda, Angola

Can DR Congo avert a transition crisis?

President Joseph Kabila has agreed to step down after elections next year in a power-transfer deal backed by the church.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been on the brink of violence over the past two weeks.

President Joseph Kabila’s two-term and final mandate ended in mid-December, but he had announced he would stay in office and postponed elections.

Keep reading

DRC legislators trash Parliament as political crisis deepens

In protests-hit DRC, a fierce power struggle deepens

DRC PM lashes out at ‘arbitrary’ detention of justice minister

‘Father of democracy’: DRC’s Etienne Tshisekedi laid to rest

That led to violent confrontations between security forces and anti-government protesters and at least 40 people were killed in the unrest.

But after weeks of tense talks with the opposition, Kabila has agreed to step down by the end of 2017, under a last-minute deal.

If this deal, which is being backed by the country’s influential Catholic church, holds, it will be the first peaceful transfer of power since DRC’s independence in 1960.

So will a further crisis be averted in DRC?

Presenter: Richelle Carey

Guests:

Michael Amoah – Centre of African Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies

Matlotleng Matlou – Executive director of Excelsior Afrika Consulting

Marie-Roger Biloa – Editor of Africa International