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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
DR Congo Elections Missing Voters, Violence, Everything on Track Tension still prowls the political landscape in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The July 30 elections have brought to the fore deep-rooted conflicts amongst Congolese politicians and serious fighting will probably flare up after the elections, raising the specter of a new war. Opposition forces are mustering fresh political forces and seeking alliances from allies. The Electoral Independent Commission (CEI) this week published the final voter registry, which increased the controversy because of missing names. In addition, the prevailing security situation in the country continues to present obstacles to presidential and parliamentary candidates. The High Media Authority (HAM) this week again closed another seven television and radio stations, accusing them of violating the law. Amidst this chaotic environment, the International Community recommended that the Congolese national army confine itself to the barracks to avoid interfering in the elections. The final voter registry released by the CEI this week contained 24,440,410 voters instead of the expected 25,712,552 names. This means that there are 1,272, 142 less voters. The electoral body argued that the number of voters has reduced because some people had registered several times and that bad weather had destroyed diskettes containing some records. Other sources said that some CD-ROMs with data had been destroyed by some CEI staff in protest over arrears in bonuses while others had been damaged in transit and others were not read because of errors in data entry. Reportedly, the anomaly affected 1,029 out of 9,200 registration centers. GLCSS shares the view of Jean-Michel Dumont, an election specialist currently in the DRC as a European Union observer who stated that the case of the missing names will complicate matters but it doesn't put the voting in doubt. More so, this is probably one of the consequences of organizing elections in a short period of time. It has been the belief of GLCSS that a good number of voters risked being prevented from voting because of insecurity and non-payment of CEI staff. In another development, UDPS continued its anti-election protests in Kinshasa. Diplomatic sources in the Congolese capital revealed that the protest was aimed at destroying any election poster or other materials and to send hostile messages to the international community whom they accuse of having imposed elections on Congolese population. Protesters who were singing slogans supporting Etienne Tshisekedi reportedly tore up candidates’ posters and burnt the CEI’s banderoles. The protesters not only attacked passers-by wearing T-shirts printed with candidates' portraits but they also tried to smash cars bearing candidates' posters while throwing bricks and burning bottles at the police. A group of ten UDPS and Ngbanda's APARICOT supporters are said to have carried out similar acts of protests at the DRC embassy in Paris because the embassy's reception hall was not accessible for them to mourn the passing of Bakuwa Mwamba a journalist assassinated at his home during the night of 8 July. Bapuwa Mwamba worked for several Kinshasa-based newspapers, including the opposition daily Le Phare and Jeune Afrique l’Economie. According to a statement by the Reporters without Borders, this is the second time a journalist has been murdered in the last eight months. The first was Franck Kangundu, a journalist from the independent daily La Référence Plus and his wife who were killed outside their home in Kinshasa on 3 November 2005. Several human rights organizations and the International community have repeatedly condemned many cases of media harassment by the DRC transition institutions especially security organs. However, the situation has not changed but is instead worsening. Local authorities and security operatives continue to harass and illegally arrest and detain journalists. The Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, who attended the gathering, condemned the murder of Mwamba and reminded the government of its responsibility to protect journalists. Like Koichiro Matsuura, GLCSS is convinced that at a time when the DRC is preparing for its elections, it is of paramount importance to ensure the safety of media professionals because they represent one of the pillars of democracy. GLCSS has repeatedly pointed out that the political error made by Etienne Tshisekedi and his militants of not registering to participate in the forthcoming elections would lead to a dramatic end of his party - long considered as the main opposition party. In addition, Tshisekedi’s hostility towards the International community was seen as another error that will systematically weaken the veteran politician as well as his political party. GLCSS maintains that the protests being organized by the UDPS indicate its last strong grip on the DRC political scene. The security situation in some areas of the DRC has not improved, increasing the risks to the candidates. Gunmen reportedly opened fire on a campaign rally in Rugarama Mugogo, Rutshuru Territory. According to UN reports, four people were killed and six others injured. MONUC sources said the motive of the bandits was not to disrupt the campaigns but to loot the market nearby. Meanwhile Jean-Luc Mutokambale, the independent parliamentary candidate who organized the rally is said to have fled to Uganda in fear for his life after the shooting. According to General Amisi Gabriel, commander of the 8th FARDC Military Region, the barbaric act was conducted by FDLR and mai mai militias who usually come to ransack Rugarama market. Media reports have also suggested that some localities are too dangerous and cannot be accessed by the presidential and parliamentary candidates. In Lubero, areas like Mashuta, Ruhanga, Busharingwa, Burewusa and kateku, with a population of over 30,000 people, are controlled by the FDLR and apparently no Congolese administration, army or police is present in the area. In the province of South Kivu, some areas like Nganza and Lulege in Baraka cannot be accessed. GLCSS has over and again expressed concerns at the presence of both local and foreign armed groups in the eastern DRC. Although some progress has been achieved in disarming and integrating a considerable number of militias especially from Ituri district, the solution was only a tip of the iceberg. Vast numbers of militias still conduct their activities in most areas of the East with impunity. On a positive note, Peter Karim Udaga leader of the Front of Nationalists and Integrationists (FNI) one of militias who had resisted disarmament program and accused of kidnapping seven (Nepalese) MONUC soldiers for several days agreed to disarm this week. Major Franck Ntumba of FARDC disclosed that the militia leader with his 1,000 fighters will be integrated into the FARDC, and other sources have hinted that Karim may be given a rank of colonel. Acts of intimidation have also played a significant role in destabilizing the political atmosphere in the DRC. Military personnel guarding Vice President Bemba allegedly intimidated Pay Pay’s supporters in Bukavu, South Kivu province, and forced them from the stadium where they were waiting for Pay Pay. The stadium was then occupied and used by Bemba who claimed that he had had prior arrangements with Pay Pay to use the facility. Further still, supporters of Tambo Mwamba and Luwowo Ngongo both national legislative candidates reportedly clashed in Maniema province over candidate posters at the same private hotel. In a related development, Joseph Olenghankoy failed to charter a plane for his countrywide campaign as it was grounded on orders of the transport minister. The minister is said to have demanded the aircraft administrative documents, which according to the pilot had been handed over to the civil aviation authorities. In what has now become a common practice, the Media High Authority (HAM) this week barred seven Television stations from covering election campaigns for three days. The stations surprisingly include the state-owned Congolese National Radio Television (RTNC1), pro-Kabila Digital Congo Television and the Canal Kin Television (CKTV) owned by Vice President Bemba. Others are Canal Congo Television (CCTV), Global Television and Africa Television. Radio Sanka Tibaki Radio Television based in Kasaï Occidental has been closed for a week for having called upon voters to support its owner and parliamentary candidate Kitenge Simon. Finally, the International Committee to Support the Transition (CIAT) has recommended that the Congolese army including the Presidential guard, GSSP, deployed in various provinces be confined in barracks to avoid interfering in the elections. This move is likely to encounter resistance from the Higher Defence Council which has authority to decide on the matter. GLCSS shares the opinion of the British Ambassador Andy Sparkes who stated that the worst that could happen is having soldiers who are perceived as taking sides with a particular party and who are not trained in working towards peaceful resolution of minor electoral disputes. The Great Lakes Centre for Strategic Studies is a London-based think tank. Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by GLCSS at 3:38 AM |
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