From Resistance to Renaissance: Tshisekedi Charts Congo’s New Rise

Tshisekedi Outlines a Nation Standing, Transforming, and Rising Despite Aggression

Before a packed Parliament and a nation watching from every province and diaspora community, President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi delivered what will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most consequential State of the Nation Addresses of the Fifth Republic.

Punctuated by repeated applause, moments of solemn silence, and emotional resonance, the address culminated in a phrase that electrified the room:

Below is a full analytical review of the key messages and the political vision that defined this historic speech.

I. Rwanda’s Ongoing Aggression & A President Who Does Not Bend

From the outset, President Tshisekedi confronted, without hesitation, the core threat facing the nation: Rwanda’s continued aggression through the M23/AFC coalition.

He cited concrete facts, verified by the UN Group of Experts, confirming that:

• Rwanda directs, controls, and equips M23.

• Fresh RDF attacks were launched even after the Washington Peace Agreement was signed.

• Civilian populations in Kaziba, Katogota, and Luberika suffered heavy bombardments coming from the Rwandan territory, Bugarama

By exposing these violations publicly and frontally, Tshisekedi positioned himself as Courageous in the truth, Firm in sovereignty, and Unwavering in the face of foreign pressure. His tone reflected not only resistance, but a moral stand:

II. Diplomacy: The DRC’s Global Comeback

In 2025, the DRC achieved a diplomatic breakthrough unprecedented in its modern history. The President detailed a series of victories that have reshaped Congo’s place in the international system:

1. UN Security Council Resolution 2773: For the first time, the UN Security Council explicitly condemned Rwanda’s aggression and demanded the withdrawal of its forces.

2. Election to the UN Security Council: The DRC secured a non-permanent seat with 183 votes out of 187, reflecting overwhelming international confidence.

3. Washington Peace Agreement (June 27, 2025) A binding diplomatic framework endorsed at the level of Heads of State on December 4, 2025.

4. Doha Framework Agreement with M23-AFC: Establishes Disengagement, Disarmament, Cantonment and Restoration of State Authority and, crucially, no sharing of sovereignty, no disguised amnesty, no territorial concessions.

This section of the speech confirmed Tshisekedi's growing role as an African statesman shaping regional stability and isolating Rwanda diplomatically.

III. A Resilient Nation: Economic Stabilization and Reform

Despite foreign aggression, the DRC’s macroeconomic indicators improved more dramatically than in any year since 2003: Inflation dropped to 2.5% (against 11.7% in 2024). Franc congolais appreciated by 29% An extraordinary recovery. FX reserves reached $7.4 billion, Equivalent to 3 months of imports. Economic growth: 5.6% Higher than the Sub-Saharan African average.

This stability provided the foundation for an ambitious modernization agenda:

• 8,000+ km of rural roads maintained

• Port en Eau Profonde de Banana officially launched

• National electrification jumped from 9% to 21.5%

• SNEL reactivated major turbines, including units delivering 193 MW and 192 MW

• Massive expansion of transport corridors (RN1, RN2, RN4, RN8)

• Revitalization of river, rail, and airport infrastructure

These reforms highlight the emergence of a state that plans, builds, and delivers, even under the shadow of war.

IV. Social Justice & Human Development: A Historic Leap Forward

Arguably, the most transformative segment of the speech addressed social reforms: Free childbirth & neonatal care. Already benefiting 2.6 million births across 14 provinces. 1384 schools built or rehabilitated, plus 80+ temporary learning spaces for displaced children, 240 new health structures delivered; 357 under construction, Salary doubling for military & police, SMIG raised to 21,500 FC from January 2026, Biometric identification of all public servants, and ending decades of ghost workers and corruption.

These achievements place social protection and equity at the center of national transformation.

V. Environmental Leadership: Congo as a Global Climate Power

One of the most visionary announcements concerned the Couloir Vert Kivu–Kinshasa, now the world’s largest community-protected ecological zone:

• 540,000 km² of protected landscape

• 100,000 km² of intact primary forest

• 500,000 projected jobs

Integrated clean-energy and agro-industrial corridors, A direct contribution to global climate stability

The President also reaffirmed Congo’s leadership within the Three Basins Alliance (Amazon–Congo–Indonesia), linking environmental preservation with economic justice.

This segment positions the DRC as an essential global climate stabilizer, no longer a victim of extractive geopolitics, but a partner shaping the rules.

VI. A Message of Hope, Unity, and National Purpose

The most emotional part of the speech honored FARDC soldiers, Wazalendo, Civilians displaced or killed in the North-East of the Country, and Victims of massacres in Kivu, Ituri, and Haut-Uélé

The President declared:

He also spoke directly to the youth, urging them to seize opportunities and embody excellence.

The address ended with a message that resonated across the nation:

A prophetic phrase that Parliament greeted with thunderous applause, capturing the spirit of a people who refuse to surrender their future.

VII. Conclusion: A Roadmap for a Rising Nation

This was not a ceremonial speech; It was a strategic roadmap, a moral appeal, and a national call to unity. Tshisekedi outlined a Congo that resists aggression, restores sovereignty, modernizes its economy, protects its vulnerable, reclaims global leadership, and moves toward a renaissance rooted in dignity and national purpose.

In closing, the President reaffirmed his mission:

From resistance to renaissance, the DRC is writing a new chapter, one defined not by the shadows of war, but by the light of a sovereign nation rising.