This news dominated the media this week in Kigali, with major newspapers reporting about the cancellation.
The vernacular online newspaper “Igihe” reports that the decision to postpone the trip by AU delegation in Kinshasa must have been motivated by the fact that the Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has proclaimed the final results of the presidential and national and provincial and legislative elections of 30 December 2018, after the above meeting with Rwandan leader and current Chairperson of African Union (AU).
The “Igihe” reported that the Congolese that held meetings with Rwandan President Kagame over the weekend included President Joseph Kabila’s chief of staff, Nehemie Mwilanya Wilondja, the head of the national intelligence service Kalev Mutond and Kabila’s diplomatic adviser Barnabé Kikaya Bin Karubi.
The newspaper also reported that after the court confirmed the victory of the DR Congo’s president-elect Félix Tshisekedi, a number of African heads of state immediately started to send congratulatory messages, despite the scheduled trip by AU high-level delegation to Kinshasa.
The English language daily newspaper The New Times also reported the “AU postpones high-level meet on DR Congo elections, calls for unity”.
It is expected that during the heads of state summit scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, the AU will receive a report on the efforts made, in solidarity with, and support to, the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.