The DRC presidency has severed all relations with the Belgian Embassy in Kinshasa.
The DRC presidency has severed all relations with the Belgian Embassy in Kinshasa. The Office of the Head of State in the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken a serious and unusual decision in its relations with…
NSANZIMANA SylverOct 17, 20264 min read
Share
The DRC presidency has severed all relations with the Belgian Embassy in Kinshasa.
The Office of the Head of State in the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken a serious and unusual decision in its relations with foreign countries, permanently banning all its employees from having any contact with the Belgian Embassy in Kinshasa.
The letter, signed by Anthony Nkinzo Kamole, Director General of the Office of President Félix Tshisekedi, dated October 15, 2026, states that from that date, all employees of the Presidency have been asked to "refrain, until further notice, from any direct or indirect communication" with the Embassy.
The letter emphasizes that even if there is a valid and urgent reason for them to contact the Embassy, ​​they must first obtain written permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
This decision was made while the letter did not provide a specific reason for its inclusion, but the timing of the decision suggests a connection to the search operations that had taken place just one day earlier.
On October 14, 2026, the Belgian national prosecution service conducted searches at the homes of members of President Tshisekedi's family living in Brussels and other parts of Belgium.
The Belgian prosecutor's office announced that these actions were based on complaints filed in April 2025 by the DESC/RDC coalition, which brings together associations fighting for economic rights in the DRC, where members of Tshisekedi's family are suspected of "laundering money of ill-gotten gains" and "illegally accumulating assets".
The charges allege that these individuals are suspected of having smuggled cobalt and copper minerals from Katanga Province, illegally sold them, and then funneled the money through European banks, including those in Belgium, to buy houses and other expensive items.
The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was surprised by Kinshasa's decision. As RFI reported, Belgium says there is no reason to prevent people from contacting its embassy, ​​as the embassy remains an institution recognized by international law.
Belgian authorities say that the search operations were carried out by an independent judiciary, not controlled by the state, and that it was not a political decision, but rather a normal judicial investigation that follows Belgian and European Union law.
The decision has further strained already strained relations between Kinshasa and Brussels. In recent years, the two countries have had issues over Belgium's sanctions on people close to Tshisekedi, and over the security situation in eastern DRC.
Belgium, a former colonial power in the Congo, plays a major role in development, relief and education activities in the DRC, and has many diplomats working in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Bukavu.
Experts in international relations say that preventing presidential staff from communicating with the Embassy is a very serious diplomatic move, which could cause negotiations between the two countries to stall, and affect economic and security cooperation agreements.
On the DRC side, those close to the Presidency say that this decision is a way to show that the DRC Government is not happy that Belgium is using unfounded accusations to defame the Head of State and his family, at a time when the country is going through difficult political and security times.
Other analysts say that President Tshisekedi wants to demonstrate the independence of the DRC to European countries, as he has done on various occasions when he said that no country should interfere in the justice and economic affairs of the Congo.
So far, there has been no change from the DRC Presidency, and no new statement has been issued stating when the decision will be lifted. Many are waiting to see if the Belgian Embassy will intervene in a retaliatory manner or if there will be diplomatic talks to prevent the bad atmosphere from getting worse.
Tuganire newsroom
Related articles
Related articles
Share articles
NSANZIMANA Sylver
Author
