Kisangani, June 24th, 2025 (CPA) – A diploma of merit was awarded on Monday to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Interior, Jaquemain Shabani, in Kisangani, capital of Tshopo province, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for his commitment to peace and living together, the CPA learned on Tuesday from an official source. ‘Your Excellency, the Tshopo Provincial Assembly awards you today in the plenary session room, the diploma of ambassador of peace for the province of Tshopo’, declared Dr Mateus Kanga Londimo, president of the Tshopo Provincial Assembly.
For the President of the Provincial Assembly, this recognition marks the Deputy Prime Minister’s determined commitment to promoting inter-community dialogue, particularly between the Mbole and Lengola communities, and his significant contribution to restoring social cohesion and living together.
Another diploma of patriarch of peace and reconciliation between the communities of Tshopo l was awarded to the President of the Republic, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, through the head of the territorial administration. With this honorary title, the provincial deputies of Tshopo wanted to salute the visionary leadership of the guarantor of the nation in the pacification of the province and the restoration of the social fabric. Taking the floor, VPM Jacquemain Shabani expressed his deep gratitude to the provincial institution, before thanking the MNAs from the bottom of his heart for this gesture of honor.
He added: ‘This work is the work of us all. A challenge to recreate hope, not only the hope of peace, but also the hope of cohesion’. He recalled that his peace mission in this province was in line with the presidential instruction given following President Félix Tshisekedi’s visit to Kisangani in December 2023, after the inter-community violence. He spoke movingly of the organization of the peace forum, which culminated in a customary reconciliation rite, and urged the provincial councilors to continue implementing the resolutions adopted.
‘Together, we have stood firm for peace […] but there is no shortage of challenges. Peace is built over time. It requires patience, determination and continuity’, he concluded.