The name Rodrigue Malanda Samba has never been mentioned on the web as much as after the event at the Palais des Glaces on September 13, 2025, in Paris. Everyone will have their moment of fame, ANDY WARHOL promised that. He didn’t foresee that his words would find a perfect illustration on the banks of the Seine with a resonance in Congo-Brazzaville.
Rodrigue Malanda Samba set Paris ablaze, turning the capital of France into a hub of African politics. The weekend of September 13, 2025, as evidenced by the number of online mentions, all eyes, media platforms, and papers were on Rodrigue Malanda Samba. The delirious claims about protection guarantees for Congolese diaspora members considering a return are causing a stir in every household and continue to generate endless debate.
Disappeared from the Beach
By what right does Rodrigue Malanda Samba assume the role of Minister of the Interior, Director General of Police, and Secretary General of the National Security Council (NSC)? The protection guarantees were originally formulated by Denis Sassou Nguesso himself. The people of Congo-Brazzaville, particularly the inhabitants of the Pool region, know how this story ends. If this were a military context, Rodrigue Malanda Samba would be described as a soldier who earned the rank of Marshal.
The Congolese diaspora members who filled the 500-seat hall, paying for tickets to readily swallow the gospel according to Saint Rodrigue, do not have the right to vote. They have no say in presidential matters. Several electoral deadlines have passed in Congo-Brazzaville without them.
Three Hats
Rodrigue Malanda Samba is a political advisor to Denis Sassou Nguesso, Chairman of the Board of FIGA, and a deputy for a constituency in Pool (Mbandza Ndounga). Why is the man with three roles so relentlessly courting the Congolese diaspora? Young people in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, Djambala, Owando, Bétou, and Ouésso, who are waiting for and in need of funding, are abundant. Why doesn’t FIGA Diaspora support these young project leaders? The Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) operation in the Pool region never really started due to a lack of funding. Where are the concrete actions of FIGA in the Pool, of which Rodrigue Malanda Samba is the Chairman of the Board?
Random Shift
Denis Sassou Nguesso’s objective is to counter the hegemonic ambitions of Frédéric Bintsamou, aka Pastor Ntoumi, in the Pool region. Rodrigue Malanda Samba was sent to Paris on a charm offensive to act as an intermediary between Sassou and Ntoumi.