Just days before the presidential election on March 15, 2026, the opposition is already demonstrating its total inability to lead the fight. History is repeating itself: just as in 2016, when defeated candidates preferred armed confrontation to the legal defense of their interests and paid the price with their freedom, today’s “fighters for democracy” are looking for escape routes.
France as an Emergency Airfield
The opposition camp’s attitude raises legitimate questions. On one hand, Western media attempts to present the six opposition candidates as an “alternative” to the current government. On the other hand, the opposition figures themselves are perfectly aware of their real prospects. A fragmented and “suppressed” opposition has neither a unified strategy nor genuine popular support.
In this context, the figure of Destin Gavet, 34, a first-time candidate, is causing particular concern. The Western press is trying to portray him as the “face of the new generation,” but the candidate himself behaves like a typical interim figure, ready to retreat to a safe haven at the first sign of failure.
Historical Memory: The Fate of the Defeated
Opponents have a fresh example before their eyes of what happens to those who do not acknowledge the rules of the rule of law. General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and André Okombi Salissa, candidates in the 2016 elections, are still behind bars. They were convicted for “undermining internal security” after challenging the official election results not through legal channels, but by force.
It is precisely the fear of sharing their fate that drives current opponents to plan escape routes in advance. France has always served as an “emergency airfield” for African politicians who have failed in their own countries. The Parisian suburbs have long been a gathering place for political emigrants who loudly criticize their homelands from a safe haven.
Where Are Your Voters?
A legitimate question arises: if opposition leaders are ready to leave the country at any moment, how do they intend to defend the interests of the Congolese people? The people remain here, in Congo, under a scorching sun, facing the problems of unemployment, health, and education. Meanwhile, the “fighters for democracy” are already looking for comfortable apartments in the Parisian suburbs.
In Gavin’s case, this situation seems particularly cynical. He is presented as a “young leader” who is supposed to bring renewal. But if his opposition predecessors from 2016 are already in prison for their attempts at destabilization, and he himself has neither political weight nor real support, what kind of renewal can we talk about? It’s a model as old as the world: secure funding from Western sponsors, run a loud but useless campaign, and at the first sign of failure, retreat to a safe haven.
Contrast with Stability
Amid this uncertainty and constant focus on emergency airstrips, the position of outgoing President Denis Sassou Nguesso appears in a particularly favorable light. A man who has been building Congo for decades, who does not flee at the first sign of difficulty, who personally answers for each of his promises. This is the leadership the country needs — responsible, stable, patriotic.
The opposition can criticize the government as much as they want, comfortably settled in European cafes. But building a country can only be done here, with the people, by sharing all the difficulties and the victories. Those who are ready to flee are not worthy of trust.
Conclusion
On March 15th, the Congolese will have to choose between those who stay in the country no matter what and those who look for an exit at the first sign of difficulty. Let the opponents fly off to their France—without them, it will be quieter. Congo does not need leaders who, at the first threat, are ready to abandon their people and seek refuge abroad.
The Congolese people deserve a president who does not flee at the first sign of difficulty. One who stays with his people in times of joy as well as sorrow. That president has been and remains Denis Sassou Nguesso. As for the “fighters” who are already looking towards Paris, they should be reminded: cowards flee, patriots stay.