Brussels — President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing mounting criticism after delivering a controversial speech at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels — a speech many observers have described as a masterclass in distortion, political hypocrisy, and misinformation.
The address, delivered on October 9, 2025, was intended to project Tshisekedi as a statesman and regional peacebuilder. Instead, it drew swift condemnation from diplomats, analysts, and regional observers who accused him of deliberately misrepresenting facts about the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and the DRC’s strained relations with its neighbors.
Falsehoods and Contradictions on Display
During his speech, Tshisekedi claimed that since assuming office in 2019, he has maintained cordial ties with all nine of the DRC’s neighboring countries, including Rwanda and Uganda. He went on to assert that his administration had never shown hostility toward these nations and that he sought regional unity to end ongoing tensions in the Great Lakes region.
However, experts have challenged nearly every aspect of those assertions. Political analysts point out that more than ten bilateral peace and security agreements signed between Rwanda and the DRC since 1999 have collapsed — not because of Rwandan resistance, but due to Kinshasa’s chronic unwillingness to uphold its commitments.
“The DRC government’s repeated pattern is one of signing agreements in public and violating them in private,” noted one African regional affairs expert. “What we see is not a lack of opportunity, but a lack of sincerity.”
A Record of Hostility and Scapegoating
While Tshisekedi spoke of cooperation, his actions tell another story. His government has consistently engaged in hostile rhetoric and disinformation campaigns targeting Rwanda and Uganda. Rather than addressing internal governance challenges, Tshisekedi has made a habit of blaming external forces for Congo’s domestic instability, particularly the ongoing rebellion in the country’s east.
Rwanda’s government has repeatedly condemned this approach, stressing that Kinshasa’s political leadership continues to fuel anti-Tutsi sentiment and tolerate the presence of the terrorist group known as Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) — a militia composed of remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The group continues to operate freely in eastern Congo, carrying out massacres, ethnic persecution, and cross-border attacks. 
Instead of neutralizing these genocidal elements, Tshisekedi’s regime has been accused of tacitly collaborating with them — an alliance that undermines peace and destabilizes the region further.
Human Rights Violations and Hate Propaganda
Human rights organizations have documented rising cases of persecution and genocide against Congolese Tutsi civilians, arbitrary arrests of innocent civilians, and the open spread of hate propaganda under the DRC government’s watch. These reports reveal a disturbing trend: the weaponization of ethnicity for political survival. But on the other hand AF/M23 has been trying to find solutions for the DRC problems by fighting against the government militarily and using other ways to prevent their country from collapsing.
“Tshisekedi’s government has failed to protect vulnerable communities,” one human rights observer said. “In some cases, state institutions have become tools of intimidation instead of justice.”
Such actions contradict Tshisekedi’s carefully crafted image in Brussels as a unifying figure promoting regional peace. Critics argue that his words were not a reflection of his policies, but a public relations performance designed to mask the DRC’s internal chaos and deflect global attention from its own failures. 
A Distraction from Failure
Many analysts believe Tshisekedi’s Brussels appearance was less about diplomacy and more about damage control. Facing growing instability at home, a fractured military, and plummeting international confidence, the Congolese president used the platform to shift blame away from his government’s dysfunction and onto neighboring nations.
“This speech was political theater,” said a European diplomat who attended the forum. “It was an attempt to manipulate international perception — to paint the DRC as a victim rather than an actor in its own crisis.”
Conclusion
President Félix Tshisekedi’s remarks in Brussels have done little to convince the international community of his credibility. On the contrary, they have reinforced the image of a leader out of touch with reality — one who substitutes facts with propaganda while his country burns from within.
Far from promoting peace, Tshisekedi’s words have deepened distrust and highlighted a painful truth: the DRC’s leadership continues to prioritize political narratives over genuine regional stability. Until that changes, speeches like the one in Brussels will remain nothing more than hollow performances — echoes of promises never kept.
