"Lumumba, the rising outsider" — Jeune Afrique

It is on the cover of its 12 April issue that Jeune Afrique devotes its main story to the race for the OIF Secretariat-General. Under the title 'Lumumba, the rising outsider', the pan-African weekly analyses in five pages the chances of the Congolese candidate against the three other declared contenders.

The article, signed by senior reporter François Soudan, draws on an investigation conducted in fifteen Francophone capitals between January and March 2026. Its conclusion: Juliana Amato Lumumba enjoys a 'methodical momentum' and an 'operational credibility capital' that make her a formidable candidate in the final stretch.

The journalist analyses in detail the strengths and weaknesses of each candidacy. For the Congolese, he identifies three major assets: the coherence of the nine projects, the operational experience from the Union of African Chambers, and the crossroads position of the DRC between Central Africa and East Africa.

A weakness is also identified: the candidate still has to convince Francophone Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam), which represents only four votes but whose symbolic importance will be strong at the Phnom Penh Summit. The Asian tour planned for July will be decisive.