DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi will lead the African Union for a year after he takes over from South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa during the upcoming virtual AU Summit scheduled for this coming weekend on February 6-7.

But he will have a lot on his plate; juggling critical matters at home and on the continent. There is little doubt that, lately, most of his focus has been at home where he continues to stamp his authority by purging leaders that may stand in his way for a development agenda he has for his country.

The latest departure is Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga, a known acolyte of former President Joseph Kabila, who resigned last week.

According to Wanyama Masinde, Professor of Regional Integration and Director of the Centre for Regional Integration, in Nairobi, Kenya, Tshisekedi is taking over at the AU even before settling down at home and stabilising his own country.

"Therefore his hands were already full. We only hope that he finds time to lead the AU,” Masinde said.

Since Tshisekedi’s election in January 2019, he found it hard to implement important decisions.

Kabila had the numbers in parliament that undermined the new leader’s reform programme.

Last December, Tshisekedi dissolved the alliance between his own coalition party and Kabila’s party, whose allies dominated parliament and key ministries.

Opportunity to show what young African leaders have to offer

Harouna Doumba, a pan-Africanist and president of an international NGO, Aimons Notre Afrique (ANA), believes that as Chair of the AU, Tshisekedi’s major challenge will be insecurity and conflicts in the sub-region and the continent.

"The President has to use this opportunity to end the issue of terrorist armed groups and rebels in places like the Central African Republic,” Doumba said.

Besides handling the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, conflict hotspots including Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, the Central African Republic, Libya, the Sahel, and issues in the Great Lakes region, his backyard, where, among others, the Rwanda-Uganda stand-off remains unresolved, will require his attention.

"How does the continent address the existing conflicts? As a young leader, it is also an opportunity for him to show what the younger generation of African leaders have to offer,” Masinde said.

"We expected guns to fall silent in 2020 but we are now moving to the Year of Culture with the guns still loud even more so with the conflict in Ethiopia, Mozambique and many more: Libya and the Sahel.”

The AU’s theme of the Year 2021 is "Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.”

"Maybe we should look at culture differently. Let us move from the culture of conflict on the continent! Let us move from the culture of borders. Let Africans trade with each other and live with each other peacefully,” Masinde noted.

Tshisekedi will be seeking to unite the continent and make it peaceful - something he has not experienced at home, the don observed.

Eric Ndushabandi, professor of political science at the University of Rwanda, observed that despite being "challenged by opponents in his country where he still needs to get stable institutions,” Tshisekedi is coming in (at the AU) at a good time when many reforms were already initiated and treaties signed between African countries.

"But to implement them he will face the same structural challenges of Africa, and (lacking) political will of decision makers to implement AU decisions,” Ndushabandi said.

Politics is not religion

On the other hand, Masinde noted, the AU Chairmanship may give Tshisekedi weight to address challenges back home.

According to Ndushabandi, "the man is on a good track. He will be very comfortable in the seat at the AU since he now has a minimum of internal legitimacy and well established institutions in his favour.”

Ndushabandi, also Director of the Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (IRDP), an independent think tank, said this could also be a good opportunity for Tshisekedi to highlight his vision on regional integration.

"It will probably be a good time to express and move forward the DRC agenda to join the EAC as an argument for a strong peaceful, developed and integrated Africa.”

With the fall of Ilunga, Patrick Muyaya, a Congolese Member of Parliament, believes Tshisekedi has "an opportunity to start a new chapter” of his presidency.

The lawmaker noted that "the ongoing power struggle is normal.”

"Politics is not religion and even in religion there is always a standoff as long as no arms are used to disturb the peace. Despite our internal differences, the Congo is a united country and the Congolese have repeatedly shown that they care about the unity of the country,” Muyaya said.

"Security concerns in the east have persisted for several years and this is due to several factors. Everything is being done to restore peace, in particular by strengthening relations with neighboring countries, in particular Rwanda.”

Tshisekedi has vowed to rid his country’s east of armed militia. Hundreds of Rwandan militia have been captured by the Congolese armed forces and sent home while others died at battle.

Ndushabandi trusts that the incoming AU Chairperson "will call for bilateral and integrated effort to invest in peace and stability.”

Post Covid-19 recovery, securing vaccine for Africa

Tshisekedi has had some time to acclimatise himself with the issues that he will have to address since he has been in the AU Bureau. He is no stranger to AU corridors having been, among others, first Vice Chairperson of the Union for 2020 and second Vice Chairperson for the Bureau of the Assembly in 2019.

But still, the Kenyan don pointed out that "there is a lot to be done.”

The issue of post-Covid-19 recovery is also a big task, Masinde added. "Africa CDC is doing a sterling job bringing the continent together and sharing information and good practice. How does the continent get vaccines, negotiate a good price and save the economy?”

At the helm of the AU, Muyaya said, Tshisekedi’s "first priority is to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and especially to work to get the vaccine for the African people,” and also focus on other issues including the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Trading under the latter framework, a historic achievement for the continent, started last month.

Making the AfCFTA work "is a big task for him,” Masinde agreed, adding: "May be he will also realise the importance of the question of infrastructure and realise just how well the AfCFTA would work if the DRC which is at the heart of Africa was stable and with infrastructure linking all her neighbours.”