Article – Logistical aid for elections in the DRC: limited support from the UN Security Council
A few days before the general elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council finally responded favorably to the Congolese government’s request for logistical assistance. This decision will allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to deploy electoral materials and kits in areas with difficult access.
The President of the Security Council, José Javier de la Gasca, clarified that this logistical support would however be limited so as not to compromise the activities of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO).
In correspondence addressed to the DRC Ambassador to the UN, José Javier de la Gasca wrote: “Members of the Security Council plan to inform the Secretary-General that MONUSCO is authorized to provide limited logistical support for the 2023 electoral process in the provinces requested by the Congolese authorities, in addition to the provinces where it is currently deployed, with the existing resources of the mission and without compromising its ability to carry out previously mandated activities.
For its part, MONUSCO had already started transporting several tonnes of electoral materials to the provinces where it is present, notably North and South Kivu as well as Ituri.
This decision by the UN Security Council supports the DRC’s efforts to ensure a transparent and democratic electoral process despite the logistical challenges it faces in certain areas of the country.
However, some observers are concerned about the limitation