Fire at the CENI warehouse: investigation underway
In an official statement, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) announced a major incident that occurred on the night of Friday July 28 to Saturday July 29, 2023. Indeed, a fire broke out at the warehouse of its Provincial Executive Secretariat, located within the concession of the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo (SNCC) in the province of South Kivu.
The material damage is considerable, with the destruction of 963 electronic voting devices (DEV), as well as batteries, generators, motorcycles, solar panels and other electoral materials.
Faced with this event, the CENI immediately appealed to the competent authorities to carry out a thorough investigation to determine the exact causes of the fire. Sanctions will be taken if responsibilities are established, in accordance with the law.
This incident comes at a crucial time, as preparations for the elections of provincial deputies and communal councilors are underway in the province of South Kivu. However, the CENI wishes to reassure public opinion by affirming that this incident will not delay the opening of the Offices for the Reception and Processing of Applications (BRTC) scheduled for August 03, 2023.
Local and national authorities are fully mobilized to ensure the transparency and smooth running of the electoral process despite this unfortunate event, underlines the CENI. The population is also called for calm and vigilance, as measures will be taken to avoid any disruption of the ongoing process.
The province of South Kivu therefore remains on alert, pending the results of the investigation which will shed light on the circumstances of the fire