The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to become tense ahead of the general elections scheduled for December 2023. Civil society organizations, citizen movements, Catholic and Protestant secularists expressed their deep concern during a meeting held on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 June at the Center d’Etudes Pour l’Action Sociale (CEPAS) in Kinshasa.
In their joint statement, they called for general mobilization for credible, inclusive and transparent elections in the country. They deplored the current political climate, characterized by the resurgence of hate speech, repression, the shrinking of civil and political space, the instrumentalization of justice and security services, arrests and detentions arbitrary actions by political actors and civil society, as well as the repression of demonstrators.
In addition to these political challenges, the organizations also noted the explosive security context marked by the multiplication of violent conflicts across the country, the multiplicity of militias affiliated with political parties, the occupation of localities by foreign armies and armed groups . All these threats risk further weakening national peace, unity and cohesion.
To guarantee inclusive and credible elections, citizen organizations demanded that the electoral register be audited by an independent institution with proven expertise in the presence of observers and witnesses. They also called for timely accreditation of election observers. Finally, they called on the international community to assume its share of responsibility in promoting a transparent and inclusive electoral process in the DRC.
Tension is high in the DRC in view of the elections and the international community, as well as local actors, must be involved so that peace, national unity and cohesion are maintained.