Anti-Terror Diplomacy Reaches Central Africa as Delegation Begins Kinshasa Engagement

Expanding its unprecedented diplomatic campaign against state sponsored terrorism, an Indian all-party parliamentary delegation has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for a five-day visit.

Image Source: MEA/FM on X

The group, led by Shiv Sena MP Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, is engaging with top Congolese leaders, members of the Indian diaspora, and regional media to reaffirm India's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.

The visit to Kinshasa is part of India’s strategic outreach across continents following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 civilians dead. In response, New Delhi launched a coordinated diplomatic offensive in over 30 world capitals to build consensus against cross-border terrorism and disrupt support networks, especially those linked to state sponsorship.

Joining Dr. Shinde in Kinshasa are MPs Bansuri Swaraj, E.T. Mohammed Basheer, Atul Garg, Sasmit Patra, Manan Kumar Mishra, and former minister S.S. Ahluwalia, along with former Ambassador Sujan Chinoy, who now heads the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. The delegation will interact with senior officials of the Congolese government, strengthening political and strategic linkages while spotlighting India’s measured, responsible response to terror provocations.

Ambassador V. Vankataraman welcomed all-party delegation headed by @DrSEShinde at @IndiainDRC Embassy. Briefed delegation members on India-DRC bilateral relations ahead of delegation's meetings with senior dignitaries of DR Congo government. pic.twitter.com/SnzPDUsp5r
— India in DR Congo (@IndiainDRC) May 25, 2025

This African leg of Operation Sindoor unfolds alongside key parallel diplomatic missions. In South Korea, a separate Indian delegation led by MP Sanjay Kumar Jha met with former foreign ministers, counter-terror officials, and National Assembly members. Discussions in Seoul emphasised India's “New Normal” — a doctrine of swift, targeted retaliation rooted in responsibility and clarity, without escalation.

In Kuwait, another delegation under MP Baijayant Panda, featuring leaders like Asaduddin Owaisi and Ghulam Nabi Azad, met civil society figures and senior government officials. The team reiterated India’s firm position that terrorism cannot be compartmentalized or justified on ideological grounds, and requested global partners to reject double standards in counterterror narratives.

India’s outreach spans strategic capitals in Europe, North America, the Gulf, East Asia, and now Africa, uniting disparate nations under a common call: to isolate terrorist actors and their enablers. The unified, bipartisan nature of the delegations signals India’s domestic political cohesion on this issue, further enhancing its credibility abroad.

In Kinshasa, engagements will include discussions on multilateral cooperation, regional counter-terror strategies, and long-term security partnerships, with an emphasis on shared values of sovereignty, peace, and international law. The visit is expected to strengthen India-DRC ties and embed India’s counter-terror doctrine within the African security dialogue.