The Democratic Republic of Congo’s deputy minister of environment announced that she is resigning from the government for “personal reasons.”
Stephanie Mbombo submitted her letter of resignation to Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka on Tuesday.
Mbombo was the special envoy to President Felix Tshisekedi and also served as an advisor to the chief of staff of the head of state, particularly in environmental matters, before her appointment to the government.
She took part in the first cabinet meeting last Friday and resigned days after the inauguration by the National Assembly.
Sacred Union coalition
A press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said that Mbombo “can no longer commit” to the government of the republic from this day on.
The Tuluka government had 54 members, including 17 women.
President Tshisekedi won a second term after elections in late 2023 that also handed his Sacred Union coalition a large majority in parliament. But internal jostling for jobs had delayed the formation of a new cabinet of ministers.
Referring to the delay forming a government, the president's communications director Erik Nyindu said it took time for the different parties in the ruling coalition to find a compromise.
