President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo has congratulated Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on her re-election, even as memories remain fresh of Tanzania’s controversial military intervention in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo under her leadership.
Speaking from Doha, Qatar, where he is on an official visit, Tshisekedi held a telephone conversation with President Samia, hailing what he called her “brilliant reelection” and praising the “maturity of the Tanzanian people” during the vote.
“The President of the Republic salutes the leadership of his counterpart and the maturity of the brotherly people of Tanzania. He wishes her a fruitful term in favor of the socioeconomic development and stability of her country,” read a statement from the Congolese presidency.
But the diplomatic pleasantries come against a complicated backdrop. Under President Samia’s command, Tanzanian troops were deployed to eastern Congo as part of the SAMIDRC regional mission to fight the M23 rebellion.
The mission, initially billed as a regional effort to stabilize North Kivu, was marred by allegations of heavy civilian casualties and misconduct by foreign forces.
Human rights groups and local monitors in the region accused some SAMIDRC contingents, including Tanzanian units, of indiscriminate shelling and violence that left hundreds of Congolese civilians dead or displaced.
The operation ultimately collapsed when M23 forces overran several positions and forced the regional troops to withdraw in disarray, a humiliation that raised questions about both strategy and command.
Analysts say Tshisekedi’s outreach to President Samia reflects a pragmatic diplomatic approach, as Kinshasa seeks to reset relations with its eastern neighbors amid renewed international efforts to end the conflict.
The Congolese leader expressed hope that DRC–Tanzania relations, rooted in geography, culture, and history, would be strengthened in the years ahead.
However, for many in eastern Congo, the memory of the SAMIDRC’s failures and the civilians caught in the crossfire remains a stark reminder of how regional military interventions can deepen, rather than resolve, the country’s crises.