James Tasamba
16 October 2026•Update: 16 October 2026
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidency has directed its staff to avoid “until further notice” any contact with the Belgian Embassy in Kinshasa as well as with its diplomatic and administrative personnel, according to a circular issued Friday.
The directive came a day after Belgian police raided houses of several relatives of President Felix Tshisekedi in Brussels, as part of an investigation into allegations of money laundering involving Congolese mining revenues.
The directive was signed by presidential chief of staff Anthony Nkinzo.
“All members of the Office of the President of the Republic, in the exercise of their duties, are requested to refrain, until further notice, from any direct or indirect contact” with the embassy as well as with its diplomatic and administrative staff, the circular reads in part.
The circular said if the need arises to contact Belgian officials, all communication must be authorized and passed through the Foreign Ministry.
While the circular did not specify the reasons for the decision, the chief of staff warned of appropriate administrative and punitive measures in case of breach of the directive.
It came after a judicial investigation, launched at the federal prosecutor's request, following complaints filed by non-governmental organizations in July 2025.
But it was not clear whether the presidential chief of staff’s directive was connected to the search incident.
