AFRICA/DR CONGO - The Bishops recommend: "Beware of the upcoming deadlines of the electoral calendar in view of the December vote"

Friday, 18 May 2018 elections bishops human rights

CONGO, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE

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Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - At least 15 people were killed during public demonstrations held from December 2017 to March 2018 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to data collected by the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CEJP) in the 39 reports on election observation and the monitoring of public events, which the CEJP presented on May 15, 2018 at the inter-diocesan center of Kinshasa.
According to the CEJP reports of the 15 people killed, 14 were hit by gunshots and one was mortally intoxicated by tear gas. There were at least 226 wounded, of whom about 50 were hit by bullets; at least 396 demonstrators and organizers were arrested by the police and military forces.
From the end of December to March, the Comité Laic de Coordination (CLC, organization of the Catholic laity) organized a series of peaceful demonstrations throughout the DRC to put pressure on President Joseph Kabila to leave office, in accordance with the Constitution, and compliance with the New Year's Eve agreements of December 31, 2016. The demonstrations were brutally stopped by police and military who used tear gas and, in several cases, fired deadly bullets.
In addition to presenting demonstration reports, Fr. André Masinganda, 1st Deputy Secretary General of CENCO (National Episcopal Conference of Congo), presented some recommendations to the government, the Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, courts, political parties, civil society organizations and the international partners of the DRC, ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections on December 23rd.
"We appeal to the Congolese people to pay particular attention to the implementation of important milestones in the electoral calendar, including the convening of the electorate on 23 June 2018 and the beginning of the reception and preparation of candidacies on 24 June 2018; and to ensure respect for the peaceful nature of public events", said Fr. Masinganda. Among other recommendations, CENCO asked the authorities to restore the security conditions in the areas of the country that do not have them, in order to avoid a further postponement of the elections, and to guarantee the freedom of demonstration envisaged by the Constitution. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 18/5/2018)