The fate reserved for the state of siege in force in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo still raises questions. Two years after its proclamation, Head of State Félix Tshisekedi has still not made a decision regarding the lifting of this exceptional measure, despite the majority vote in favor of its end during a recent round table.
Meanwhile, the government continues to extend this measure every 15 days. A new draft law was recently adopted to extend the state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu.
The work of the round table, which took place from August 14 to 16, brought together different political and civil society actors. The majority of them spoke in favor of lifting the state of siege, stressing that this measure did not give the expected results. They therefore called on the Head of State to quickly take a decision in this direction.
However, with less than six months before the elections, some political actors are also waiting for the state of siege to be lifted to be able to fully engage in their political activities, such as filing candidacies and campaigning.
It is important to note that this exceptional measure is controversial, because it has failed to improve the security situation in the provinces concerned. Armed violence continues to rage, particularly with the resurgence of the M23 rebellion in North Kivu. The various military initiatives have failed to put an end to this rebellion, and diplomatic options are also in difficulty.
Faced with these observations, many voices have been raised to demand the lifting of the state of siege, considering that it only worsens the security crisis. Sociopolitical actors and the local population hope that the Head of State will quickly take a decision to allow an improvement in the situation in these provinces.
In conclusion, two years after its proclamation, the state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu in the DRC still raises questions about its effectiveness. Calls for its lifting are increasing, both from political actors and the local population. It is now essential that the Head of State makes an informed decision in order to put an end to this exceptional measure and find more effective solutions to restore security in these provinces of the country.