Kinshasa, May 2nd, 2025 (CPA) – On Tuesday in Kinshasa, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco was elevated to the rank of Grand Cordon in the National Order ‘National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba’ by his Congolese counterpart, for his commitment to peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the presidential decree read out by Major General André Matutezulwa, Chancellor of the National Orders, it was stated that ‘the laureate’s exceptional merits are evidenced by his eminent services to the peoples of Africa, his commitment to peace and reconciliation in response to the conflicts that Africa is struggling to cope with, and even to the Democratic Republic of Congo at crucial moments in the fight against the instability that is hampering its drive towards emergence’. ‘His high sense of pan-Africanism and his commitment to closer and more beneficial cooperation between Kinshasa and Bissau have indeed earned President Umaro Sissoco this award from the Congolese nation, in recognition of his eminent services’, it added. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, Grand Chancellor of the National Orders, praised the career of his distinguished guest, shaped by ‘courage, rigor and exemplary loyalty’. According to Félix Tshisekedi, these principles of sovereignty and freedom embody the deep aspirations of the continent, those of ‘an Africa that stands tall, proud and fully respected, if not master of its own destiny’. ‘Through this recognition, the DRC has paid tribute to the eminent merit, or rather, shown its esteem and sealed the indefectible ties of mutual friendship that unite the Bissau-Guinean and Congolese peoples’, concluded Major General André Matutezulwa. This solemn moment was punctuated by the presentation of the cord of honour by the Chancellery of National Orders, in the presence of Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, the heads of the institutions, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a panel of guests. It was noted that the President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco, had spent 48 hours in the DRC.
Opening of embassies imminent
After the decoration ceremony, President Tshisekedi and his host held a joint press briefing, during which they announced the imminent creation of a joint commission of Congolese and Bissau-Guinean experts, tasked with considering ways of consolidating cooperation between Kinshasa and Bissau. In particular, they discussed the need to open embassies for their respective countries and agreements in sectors such as fishing, agriculture and minerals. ‘We also discussed the plan to open embassies in our respective countries. A joint commission will be set up very soon, to take forward the project and the sectors he mentioned, such as fisheries, agriculture and even culture. I believe that we are called upon to work together’, declared President Félix Tshisekedi at the press briefing. ‘We did indeed discuss the regional and national situation, and we agreed to speed up discussions between our foreign ministers to set up a joint commission with a view to opening our embassies,’ replied President Umaro Sissoco.