Vital Kamerhe: a lion stripped of his teeth, with no choice left

Following President Joseph Kabila Kabange's address to the nation on Friday 9 October 2026, and the launch in Goma of the Front pour la refondation de la nation (FRN), a number of political figures have reacted, most of them distancing themselves from Mr Kabila for fear of reprisals from the Kinshasa regime.

By way of reminder, the FRN is a political-military movement that describes itself as 100% Congolese, made up of sons and daughters of the DRC's 26 provinces who have resolved to pool their energies and efforts to bring down Félix Tshisekedi's dictatorship and put the Congo back on the path to development.

Vital Kamerhe, the toothless lion

Among the reactions from Congolese political figures, that of Vital Kamerhe stands out. A former close ally of Mr Kabila, he presided over the National Assembly under Mr Kabila after the country's first democratic elections in 2006, before falling from favour.

Having become an ally of Mr Tshisekedi in 2018 within a coalition called Cap pour le changement (CACH), Mr Kamerhe was humiliated in spectacular fashion. Under the agreement he had struck with Mr Tshisekedi in Nairobi, Mr Tshisekedi was to serve one term and then hand the presidency to him.

Cunning and swayed by his tribal clan, Mr Tshisekedi set about weakening him, ensnaring him in an embezzlement case, the notorious "100 days" affair, which led to a 20-year prison sentence in June 2020.

His release from prison was, in reality, the product of a political deal. Mr Tshisekedi made him give up his rights under the Nairobi agreement and keep a low profile. After the 2023 elections Mr Kamerhe was elected Speaker of the National Assembly, but only for a time. Mr Tshisekedi and his clan came to see him as a nuisance and an obstacle to their plan to change the constitution. The head of state then ordered his removal and his replacement by Aimé Boji, Mr Kamerhe's own brother-in-law, in a textbook case of divide and rule.

In his media appearance on the night of 13 October, Mr Kamerhe condemned Mr Kabila's decision. In reality, he has no other choice: his party, the Union pour la nation congolaise (UNC), is now weakened, infiltrated and undermined by Mr Tshisekedi.

Like any Congolese politician, Mr Kamerhe is first and foremost mindful of his material interests, property and other assets that are all in Kinshasa. There is also his wife, Amida Shatur, who cannot accompany him on a courageous path aimed at freeing the DRC from dictatorship and bad governance.