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8397th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Democratic Republic of Congo
Despite an ongoing Ebola outbreak and continued attacks by armed groups, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is nevertheless on track to hold critical elections as planned on 23 December, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, as delegates expressed hope that a peaceful handover of power could bring longed-for stability to some 85 million people.
Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said the upcoming elections — potentially the first peaceful, democratic transfer of power in the country’s history — will also mark a “turning point”. Outlining recent progress made by the Government and supported by the Mission and other partners, she also drew attention to serious challenges on the ground, including increasing numbers of Ebola cases and the potential for armed groups’ interference in the election. In addition, she said, civilians, MONUSCO staff and national security forces are being regularly targeted by the group known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in some parts of the country.
“It is in this dynamic context that we move towards long-awaited elections in just over one month’s time,” she said, adding that the opposition party remains concerned about the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s dwindling political space and its unequal access to public media. Urging all actors to show a patriotic spirit, seize the opportunity presented by the elections and ensure full respect for freedom of assembly and expression, she also detailed MONUSCO’s support to the Government’s electoral preparations, the training of electoral staff, the accreditation of witnesses and journalists and the facilitation of thousands of independent observers to ensure the election’s transparency and credibility.
Also briefing the Council was Josephine Mbela of the Congolese Association for Access to Justice, a non-governmental human rights and rule of law organization. She said the political environment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains strained due to lack of implementation of the political agreement signed by the parties in December 2016, as well as the continued detention of activists and opposition figures. Several leaders have also been forced into exile, she said, adding that the deployment of voting machines — which were not part of the agreed-upon electoral regulations — has exacerbated tensions. Meanwhile, people protesting against the voting machines have been arbitrarily detained and other civil society activists have been detained for a variety of reasons.
As Council members took the floor, many underscored the vast opportunity presented by the upcoming elections, urging political parties — which will officially begin campaigning on 22 November — to seize the momentum and commit to a peaceful process.
“It’s not the politicians that stand to win or lose the most in these elections, it’s the people of [the Democratic Republic of the Congo],” stressed the United Kingdom’s representative, adding that 23 December could mark a major achievement for the 85 million Congolese people who have experienced numerous tragic conflicts over recent decades. A peaceful, democratic handover of power would also help ensure future growth, prosperity and economic stability. Joining other speakers in welcoming positive recent developments, he noted that democracy is not just about a single event but about a continuous process. All actors must work to create the conditions conducive for a peaceful vote, including fully respecting the right to peaceful assembly and expression.
Equatorial Guinea’s delegate emphasized that stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is crucial to that of the entire sub-region. Encouraging actors to continue to work together to ensure that all citizens are able to vote in a safe and peaceful manner and that the election is both transparent and credible, he said the subsequent peaceful transfer of power will be another critical element and called for the implementation of crucial confidence-building measures to help lasting peace and stability to take root.
The representative of Ethiopia, meanwhile, urged all national stakeholders to engage constructively to facilitate the elections in line with the 2016 political agreement. “It is vital for the peace and stability of the country that the Congolese people are allowed to exercise their democratic rights,” she said, calling on all stakeholders to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric. Among other things, she encouraged the National Electoral Commission to utilize MONUSCO’s technical and logistical support, while also underscoring the importance of regional efforts, including preparations by the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to deploy electoral observers.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s delegate stressed that all activities necessary to hold successful elections in his country on 23 December have been undertaken in compliance with the published timetable. Detailing those actions, he added that mechanisms to manage electoral disputes have also been put in place in the 26 provinces of the country, with the magistrates trained for the task.
Turning to concerns raised about apprehensions over the use of voting machines, he reiterated that such machines are the easiest way for people to vote when faced with polls that include 35,016 candidates for three combined elections taking place at once. The machines will only be used to print the paper to be placed in the voting box and the counting will be done by hand. Emphasizing that all citizens, journalists and activists enjoy freedom of expression — with a record range of media across the country — he pledged to continue to address remaining human rights issues. “The stakes are high and we must ensure that everything runs smoothly,” he said.
Also speaking were representatives of France, the United States, Peru, Côte d’Ivoire, Sweden, Bolivia, Poland, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Kuwait and China.
The meeting began at 3:03 p.m. and ended at 5:06 p.m.
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