DRC: Martin Fayulu holds his last big meeting in Kinshasa

As the campaign ends in a few days, candidate Martin Fayulu held his last big rally this Saturday in Kinshasa in the working-class neighborhood of Thérèse.

Candidate Martin Fayulu during his rally in Kinshasa, December 16, 2023. © RFI / Alexandra Brangeon

By: RFI Follow

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With our special correspondent in Kinshasa, Alexandra Brangeon

It was under the chants of candidate number 21 that Martin Fayulu arrived at the wasteland accompanied by a procession of several thousand supporters. "I'm not a candidate who comes to you and tells you anything," he told the crowd, "everything I'm telling you is in our manifesto."

Among the themes addressed by the candidate: insecurity in the east. In particular, he accused the head of state, Félix Tshisekedi, of having sold the country to its neighbours by agreeing to talk with Rwanda.

Read alsoMartin Fayulu: "It's not money or cheating that should vote"

Another theme was the plundering of the country's natural resources and corruption. The candidate has pledged zero tolerance if elected. Poverty and the cost of living were also discussed.

In the crowd, an activist held up a piece of bread in one hand and a bag of foufou in the other. "The bread we use was 300 francs. Now it's 700 francs. When Tshisekedi came to power, he said he was going to make sure that the Congolese people could eat well, but unfortunately we are suffering," he said.

A Congolese man at Martin Fayulu's rally on December 16, 2023. © RFI / Alexandra Brangeon

During the meeting, Fayulu also addressed the 2018 election, which he claims to have won. A speech that resonates with those who have come to listen to him. "We stole our victory, we didn't give up, we're working to get our power back in 2024. He is a president who deserves everything, because he cares about the people," one of them said. "Felix Tshisekedi cannot be re-elected," Fayulu told the crowd.

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• Ground floor
• Elections in the DRC