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8318th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Democratic Republic of Congo
While upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have generated “great expectations” for shoring up the county’s stability, the electoral process continues to suffer from distrust between the political opposition and the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative in that country told the Security Council today.
Speaking via videoconference from Kinshasa, the capital, Leila Zerrougui, who is also Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said that complaints about voting machines and voter registration are among the grievances laid out by five parties and platforms — the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, “Ensemble”, the Union for the Congolese Nation, the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo, and “La Dynamique” — in a joint declaration on 23 July.
She went on to express concern over the poor implementation of confidence‑building measures, noting that only a few of the 4,109 prisoners set to be released fall within that scope, while the release of “emblematic” figures is completely ruled out. Peaceful demonstrations are suppressed, civil society actors and political opponents arbitrarily arrested and media workers threatened, she said, declaring: “Conditions for a level playing field are not yet in place.” Moreover, MONUSCO personnel are increasingly being targeted, notably in the Beni area, she said, underlining that, with its $38.8 million budget much lower than the one proposed by the Secretary‑General, the Mission would be limited in its operational ability to respond to emerging protection risks.
Justine Masika Bihamba, Chair of the Board of Directors of Synergy of Women for Victims of Sexual Violence, said those risks are only growing worse for women, noting that the 2018 forecasts for rape and violence in North Kivu Province are up by more than 60 per cent. Furthermore, the electoral law promulgated on 24 December 2017 imposes a $1,000 deposit on candidates — an “astronomical” sum for women living on less than $1 a day. She urged the Council to exert pressure on the Government to implement a policy that truly promotes women’s participation in decision‑making and elections. It should also materially support civil society groups working to defend women’s rights, she said.
Kuwait’s representative, speaking in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said that on 1 February, that body approved the addition to its sanctions list of four names belonging to individuals who continue to threaten peace and security in the country.
In the ensuing debate, several delegates cited the 19 July joint communiqué issued by the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council as a unified message to Congolese political actors. Ethiopia’s delegate said the joint communiqué sent a clear and unified message to Congolese political actors while providing a useful framework for dealing with the situation going forward. For MONUSCO, she said that moving additional rapid‑deployment battalions to the Kasais and Tanganyika will be important for containing violence in rural hotspots.
On that point, Côte d’Ivoire’s representative encouraged the Congolese armed forces and MONUSCO to shore up their joint operations in North and South Kivu. He also called upon the Southern African Development Community (SADC), among other organizations, to harmonize their actions in support of the elections.
Others encouraged full respect for the Constitution. The United States delegate emphasized the need to ensure that power is handed over in a democratic manner, noting that President Joseph Kabila Kabange is unable to seek a third term.
Equatorial Guinea’s representative, meanwhile, stressed that only inter‑Congolese dialogue will allow the Democratic Republic of the Congo to form a Government of national unity and make distrust a thing of the past.
The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo reiterated the desire of his country’s Government to organize peaceful elections. All political actors must abstain from rhetoric or conduct that could raise tensions or stoke unrest. The Government has worked to ensure compliance with the 31 December 2016 political agreement on the release of so‑called political prisoners, he said, while underlining that outstanding “emblematic” cases involve individuals who have been found guilty of common law offences. He said the Government’s decision to cover the costs of the elections itself is a matter of national sovereignty, but partners wishing to assist can do so by providing the electoral commission with aircraft, among other things. On the security front, he expressed regret that, four months after the renewal of MONUSCO’s mandate, the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade has yet to be operationalized.
Also speaking today were representatives of France, United Kingdom, Poland, Peru, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Bolivia, Kuwait (in his national capacity), China, Russian Federation and Sweden.
The meeting began at 10:15 a.m. and ended at 12:15 p.m.
