The city of Lubumbashi, in the province of Haut-Katanga, was the scene of an unusual scene this Saturday. Indeed, the Congolese opposition parties, Together for the Republic of Moïse Katumbi, Leadership and Governance for Development (LGD) of Augustin Matata Ponyo, Commitment for Citizenship and Development (ECIDE) of Martin Fayulu and Envol pour the Republic of Delly Sesanga, had decided to organize a sit-in in front of the provincial headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).
However, elements of the police prevented access to the headquarters by erecting barriers in the streets leading to the building. Faced with this situation, the opposition parties read a memorandum on the public highway, criticizing the politicization and partiality of the CENI and its animators, as well as the current electoral register considered corrupt.
The mayor of Lubumbashi, Martin Kazembe, had issued an order prohibiting the march of the opposition, claiming that the context did not lend itself to it and that the city needed social peace. This decision was judged as an attack on the freedom of expression and demonstration by the opposing parties.
This aborted demonstration has revived concern about the evolution of the electoral process in the DRC. The opposition parties have called on the CENI to use a specialized international body to audit the electoral register and to work transparently for peaceful elections.
Also in the DRC, security challenges continue to mark the news. The inter-ethnic crisis in the east of the country continues to produce disastrous effects with the murderous attack attributed to the ADF in Kilya, in the Rwenzori region. Law enforcement agencies have also been the target of a series of attacks. The rise of insecurity in the DRC worries civil society and calls for concrete actions to deal with it