BREAKING: WASHINGTON
U.S. President Donald Trump has praised President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the National Prayer Breakfast, describing him as “a true president, a courageous and wonderful man.” Trump also highlighted what he referred to as a historic peace agreement and the largest U.S.–Africa mining deal.
These remarks come in the context of a well-known statement by the late Pan-Africanist and former president of Mozambique, Samora Machel, who once warned: “If one day you hear Europeans and the West praising me, then just know that I have betrayed you.”
President Trump’s praise of the Congolese leader has sparked widespread debate on social media. Many Africans across the continent have accused Congo President Tshisekedi of betraying his people and Africa as a whole, alleging that he is acting as a Western puppet by granting the West access to exploit Africa’s natural resources.
Analysts monitoring the situation argue that Trump’s praise on the Congo president is because the Congo President has agreed to protect U.S. interests and grant the United States access to Congo’s mineral resources.
They further claim that if the Congolese president was to oppose, disagree or challenge U.S. interests in Congo to better the lives of the Congolese people, he would quickly be labeled a dictator, a human rights violator, and an undemocratically elected leader by the same US president Trump who is praising him now.
According to the same analysts this will now lead to outcomes similar to those faced by leaders such as Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Patrice Lumumba the first president of the Congo and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.
Your take:
On America president Trump praising an African president. Do you think the Congo president is working for the interest of the Congo people or to protect America interest instead?
And the US ambassador to Zambia was saying his country will not give aid to corrupt countries. Well, DR Congo is a test case. There is massive corruption in the Congo but, of course, aid will continue pouring in since Mr. Tshisekedi has given away his country’s natural resources to the US in exchange for protection.
Yes, if Mr. Trump showers praises on you, just know that you have betrayed your people.