Andres Schipani

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President Félix Tshisekedi greets crowds before the Democratic Republic of Congo’s election this month © Gosette Lubondo/FT

MundoAmérica,

The sultry western province of Kongo Central is loaded with Congolese history. It contains the seaports at the mouth of the Congo river from which Belgian colonisers siphoned off the exploited riches of the country and it was where Joseph Kasavubu, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first president post-independence, was born and died.So it was no surprise when President Félix Tshisekedi, on the campaign trail late last month seeking a second term in office, chose this symbolic place to emphasise his Congolité, or Congoleseness. Do not, he warned, be fooled by the “candidat de l’étranger” — the foreign candidate.It was a thinly veiled attack against his main challenger in the December 20 vote, Moïse Katumbi, whom he claims has links to Congo’s bogeyman, the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.…  Seguir leyendo »

A schoolboy in Bangui learns how to say ‘goodbye’ in Russian © Barbara Debout/FT

MundoÁfricaEuropaInternacionalOrden Mundial

At Saint André’s Orthodox cathedral in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, Regis Saint Clair Voyemawa, the monsignor, has switched allegiance from the patriarchate of Constantinople to that of Moscow.

Russia funded the restoration of frescoes and a new façade for his dilapidated cathedral and paid for Voyemawa to spend three months in Moscow last year. It donated $6,000 to build a school classroom where 60 children, all orphans from the country’s civil war, receive basic Russian language classes. Several small children recently sat before a blackboard repeating “do svidaniya, papa; do svidaniya, maman”, while others wrote “spassiva” on personal chalkboards.…  Seguir leyendo »

Makeshift graves in Bucha, where civilians were targeted by Russian forces. © Getty Images/Reuters

Europa, , , ,

When the last Russian troops in Bucha found themselves cornered by advancing Ukrainian forces in late March, they began shooting civilians, says Serhiy Konovalov.

“My brother was killed right here on these steps”, says the 46-year-old. “He was going to the basement in the evening and stopped to light a cigarette when one soldier just shot him for the sake of it”. He believes his brother Dima’s corpse deterred Russian soldiers from entering the basement and prevented the killing of three people sheltering underground without heat and electricity for a month.

Konovalov, who witnessed his brother’s shooting from the ground floor of the house, points to graves around his neighbourhood marked with makeshift wooden crosses.…  Seguir leyendo »