“This is an egregious violation of human rights and a dangerous step backward for the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

By World Israel News Staff

A law barring the Democratic Republic of Congo’s only politician with Jewish roots – and the frontrunner in the African nation’s presidential race – from taking office has sparked outrage.

The law, reintroduced to the African nation’s parliament in Kinshasa this week, would block Moise Katumbi from running because he doesn’t have two Congolese parents.

The bill was introduced by Noel Tshiani, an ally of current president Felix Tshisekedi. Tshiani introduced a similar bill in the past, when Katumbi was also running.

Moise Katumbi is the only candidate who does not meet the new criteria. Katumbi is the son of a Congolese woman from royal descent and a Greek Sephardic Jew, Nisim Soriano, who fled to what was then a Belgian colony during the Holocaust. Katumbi’s grandparents were murdered in Auschwitz.

In his later years, Soriano emigrated to Israel, where he lived until his death. Katumbi visits Israel often and has met with Prime Minister Netanyahu as part of a delegation of Congolese governors.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association, attacked the proposed legislation: “I am appalled by the proposed legislation that would disqualify a leading candidate from running for office based solely on their Jewish heritage. This is an egregious violation of human rights and a dangerous step backward for the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am sure, Congolese citizens will fight against this unjust bill and ensure that all people are able to participate in the electoral process regardless of their background. I call on all who believe in justice and equality to unite in this crucial fight for the future of the DRC and the African continent as a whole.”

The bill has been blasted by the Institute for Research in Human Rights for being “contrary to several constitutional provisions.” The Congolese organization has called on the National Assembly to vote on a “motion of preliminary rejection” due to what it sees as the “temerity” of the bill’s authors.

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It’s “an outrage that in 2021 a person can be disqualified for having a Jewish parent,” said Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association.

By World Israel News Staff

Popular Congo businessman and politician Moise Katumbi’s eligibility as a presidential candidate is now being challenged because his father was Jewish.

Ahead of the 2023 national election, lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have introduced a bill to restrict the presidency to individuals with two Congolese parents, Reuters reported.

Katumbi’s father was a Sephardic Jew who fled Rhodes Island in 1938, after the introduction of discriminatory racial laws by the fascist Italian occupation regime, He settled in the Congo, where he married Katumbi’s mother, a native Congolese from a prominent family.

The bill, championed by an ally of President Felix Tshisekedi, was introduced to parliament on Thursday. Supporters claim it seeks to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and prevent foreign meddling, the Reuters report said.

A date for the vote on the bill has not yet been scheduled. However, the issue has infuriated Katumbi’s supporters, raising fears of renewed violence in the African country that has suffered many wars triggered by political and ethnic rivalry. The 1998-2003 war claimed millions of lives.

It’s “an outrage that in 2021 a person can be disqualified for having a Jewish parent,” Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association and an ally of Katumbi, stated, according to JTA.

On Monday, 10 ‘great chiefs’ — community leaders wielding significant followings, influence and money — threatened to support secession if the bill is passed, Reuters reported.

The UN peacekeeping mission head in Congo, Bintou Keita, warned against the “dangerous consequences of a divisive debate about nationality,” the report said.

“It is clearly a maneuver by those who want to hold onto power,” Olivier Kamitatu, Katumbi’s spokesperson, told Reuters.

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