Ban Ki-moon worried about political stalemate in DRC

By

Darell Maurice

The Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon stated that he was “very concerned about the stalemate” policy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, adding his fear of a resurgence of violence in the country.

During a debate in the Security Council on the situation in the Great Lakes region, he again called on “all stakeholders to resolve their differences through dialogue and create conditions conducive to holding timely and credible elections, in accordance with the constitution.”

Elections are due in the DRC in November 2016 but this view seems to diminish by the day. The opposition accuses President Joseph Kabila, in power since 2001 and whose term ends in December, of maneuvering to circumvent the constitutional prohibition against him.

“I am very concerned about the impasse in organizing the next elections,” warned Ban Ki-moon. “In the past, political crises that have plagued the Great Lakes region have led to widespread violence and serious security problems. We have to prevent this scenario from reccurring.” The Secretry General called for “the Security Council and regional leaders to help maintain political stability in the DRC by quickly finding a solution to the current impasse.”

He also noted “some progress” with regard to security in the eastern DRC with the defeat of the rebel movement M23 and the resumption of military cooperation against armed rebel groups between government forces and the UN mission in the DRC (MONUSCO). Hedid however recall that 7.5 million civilians are still in need of humanitarian assistance in the country, including more than 1.5 million displaced.

Darell Maurice

Darell Maurice is a Journalist based in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city Kinshasa and works for Canal7kintv. He also blogs here.