DRC Katanga leaders call for national dialogue amid eastern conflict

In Lubumbashi, Raphaël Katebe Katoto said his visit to the Katanga region was not aimed at opposing his brother, opposition figure Moïse Katumbi, but at gathering community concerns for President Félix Tshisekedi. He emphasized that “I am not here for an individual… the interest of the community is more important than my personal interest,” and noted issues raised such as perceived injustice, natural‑resource exploitation and arrests of local personalities.

Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, also in Lubumbashi, reiterated the president’s willingness to pursue a national dialogue, stressing that “President Félix Tshisekedi has always been a man of dialogue, but it must be with Congolese who know they must fight the enemy.” He linked the dialogue to the need for national unity against the war in eastern DRC and referenced Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo’s call for an inclusive, republican process.