The killing of the Italian ambassador to the DRC and the lifting of U.S. Treasury sanctions against an Israeli businessman in the final hours of the Trump administration has again focused international attention on the interlocking crises in the DRC.

Back in 2019, the international community acquiesced to undemocratic dealmaking that preempted the will of Congolese voters and brought current President Felix Tshisekedi to power. President Tshisekedi, who has been extremely clear about his intention to seek a second term, has been more ambiguous about whether elections slated for December 2023 will occur on time.

A long-awaited election in the Democratic Republic of Congo offers hope for the country’s first democratic transition, but a contested result could incite turmoil.

Supporters of opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi gesture in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa December 7, 2011. (Stringer/Courtesy Reuters) There are certain superficial similarities…

When Félix Tshisekedi assumed power in in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the start of 2019, he did so not because of the will of the voters (who apparently favored a different candidate).