Former presidents are a tricky bunch to deal with by incumbents. They are a nuisance that is better tolerated than ignored or imprisoned.
Felix Tshisekedi, the embattled president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has just discovered that his former sponsor and ally, Joseph Kabila, needs to be managed. Instead of managing him, he has decided to muzzle him.
For years, as his relationship with Tshisekedi deteriorated, Kabila opted for self-exile. He came to SA supposedly to pursue doctoral studies. He largely kept his disappointment about his successor to himself.
A month ago, Kabila ditched this approach: he openly criticised his successor and returned to his war-torn country. He is due to visit the eastern part of it, which the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have taken over.
To try to contain him, the Kinshasa authorities seized Kabila’s assets at home. When this proved insufficient to contain him, they resorted to draconian measures. Last week, the legislators voted to remove his immunity from criminal prosecution.
This is an unwise move. It is as bad as assassinating Kabila to silence a dissenting voice. And it has to be stopped.
Tshisekedi has mismanaged the conflict in his country. Until a month ago, he had been refusing to talk directly to the rebels. When he ran out of cards, he agreed to talk to them.
Foreign troops are withdrawing, and the AU has appointed facilitators, including former presidents from the continent, to lead an inter-Congolese peace process.
The Tshisekedi-inspired harassment of his predecessor and possible rival has come at an inopportune time. The foreign troops have to withdraw, and the peace process has to be allowed to start in earnest.
Roughing up opponents has no place in this political calculus.
While the Congolese have to be assisted to find each other, Tshisekedi has to be contained from fanning conflict in his homeland unnecessarily.
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