Congo-Kinshasa: Photo of Congo President Tshisekedi Apparently Indifferent to His Country's Crisis Posted Out of Context

28 February 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Grace Gichuhi

Photo of Congo president Tshisekedi apparently indifferent to his country's crisis posted out of context

IN SHORT: A photo has been shared on social media claiming to show Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, celebrating Valentine's Day in Germany as rebels continue to seize territory in his country. But the picture was taken in March 2021, on his wife's birthday, and is being shared out of context.

The political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains tense due to the ongoing conflict in the eastern region, particularly in North and South Kivu, involving the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23).

The M23 is an armed militia operating in the DRC's east. It is fighting with the Congolese army over historical and ethnic issues, mineral resources, and other factors, leading to a worsening humanitarian crisis. The African Union has discussed the crisis. The M23 gained territory in early 2025, including in the major eastern city of Bukavu.

Against this background, a photo posted on Facebook claims that while Bukavu allegedly fell to the M23, DRC president Félix Tshisekedi was seemingly ignoring the situation at home and celebrating Valentine's Day in Germany.

Celebrated around the world on 14 February, Valentine's Day is associated with romantic gestures, public displays of affection and celebrations.

The photo shows Tshisekedi holding a bouquet of flowers, which he appears to be handing to a woman who is covering her face, apparently overcome with emotion. Five other people are in the room, and a cake is on a table next to the president.

The photo's caption reads: "As his country is falling apart, with the city of Bukavu falling to the M23 fighters, and as the AU Peace and Security Council meets in Addis Ababa to discuss this deteriorating situation in DRC, President Felix Tshisekedi is celebrating Valentine's Day in Germany."

This photo has been posted here and here with the same claim. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)

Did Tshisekedi ignore the urgent security situation at home and celebrate Valentine's Day in Germany instead? We checked.

Old photo from 2021

In February 2025, Tshisekedi was in Germany for an official event - the 61st Munich Security Conference - when the M23 rebels escalated their offensive in eastern DRC. He cut his trip short after the rebels claimed to have seized a key airport near Bukavu.

A Google reverse image search of the photo traced it back to 9 March 2021 and not 2025 as claimed.

The photo was taken in the DRC when Tshisekedi surprised his wife, Denise Nyakeru, on her birthday. This was reported here, here and here. It shows the president in happier times.

The photo was also published here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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