The upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are the subject of an exploratory mission by the European Union (EU). Last Thursday, an EU delegation met the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defense to ensure security conditions before the deployment of European observers in the DRC. This exploratory mission remains on site for two weeks to check the political, security and logistical conditions for the deployment of European observers scheduled for next December.
According to Vincent Ringenberg, head of the exploratory mission, the meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister made it possible to discuss hot spots, in particular in Goma, where part of the mission could be deployed. Members of the delegation asked questions about the security situation, to which the Deputy Prime Minister responded by offering security assurances.
On Wednesday, the exploratory mission also met the President of the National Assembly to ensure political, security and logistical conditions. The EU exploratory mission will give its response to the Congolese government next September.
The elections in the DRC raise expectations and questions from the Congolese population, but also from the international community, which wishes to see a free, transparent and credible electoral process. The EU fact-finding mission is an indicator of the international community’s interest in these elections, which mark an important turning point in the history of the DRC