Lack of political tolerance is increasing before the presidential and legislative elections of November 2011 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.As the electoral presidential and legislative elections period in the DR Congo approaches, the political pression on the ruling party PPRD is increasing:
- riots to pressurize the Independent National Electoral Commission to reveal exact statistics of people who have been enrolled for the vote on 18th November 2011 so that any cheating can be avoid, has caused more damages and arrestations;
- Radio Lisanga Télevision (RLTV) in Kinshasa burned as a symbol of oppressing the freedom of speech and the freedom expressing ones ideas also prevents people access to right and true sources of information, hence, humiliating and intimidating radio reporters;
- the inter federal offices of the opposition part UDPS/Kinshasa, a political party which is led by Etienne Tchisekedi Wa Mulumba, 78 years old, the key opposition leader and candidate to the next elections burned, furthermore, the office of the ruling party PPRD were looted then burned as well.
In the eastern part of the DR Congo some lord’s army start to reappear again they have control on some portion of lands, hence bringing insecurity in different corners of the country again, and be a threat for the next elections to happen in peace.
If the politicians in Kinshasa cannot build peace among themselves then all the portrayed things will brings lack of political tolerance in the DR Congo and face the crises which was in Cote d’Ivoire after their presidential elections of last year.
On the 4th of September 2011 there was a demonstration organized by UDPS members, a political party lead by the opposition leader Etienne Tschisekedi Wa Mulumba, also other members from the parties friends to Tchisekedi.
They wrote a claim which they brought to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission to access to data in the central server of computers of the office organizing elections, just for avoiding cheating in the coming elections they want to know the exact number of people who registered for voting and know exactly how many voting centers will be in the country so that cheating could be.
This demonstration was done in Kinshasa, Mbujimay all demonstrators had the same claim to the office electoral commission.
Both in Kinshasa and Mbujimay this riot ended into violence 50 members of UDPS arrested and more wounded in Kinshasa, 30 arrested and more other wounded in Mbujimay as well.
Also houses and cars burned. This information have been provided by the Radio Okapi, the MONUC radio in the DR Congo, when the members of UDPS were on the way to the electoral commission office, before they arrive at the destination they came across roads blocks of the National Policemen who prevented them to move straight where they have been going, they had to use a different ways to be able to reach at the office of the electoral commission.
Unfortunately the police prevented them then they forced to get the way by force. The police shot guss to scatter these demonstrators unfortunately it resulted into violence. The police in Kinshasa said that the demonstrators had black weapons and they would not allow them to use violence, also they walked on the road they should not walk hence making the roads very buzy to prevent people to do other activities in the town.
The mayer of Mbujimay declared that, UDPS was not allowed to do demonstration that is why the police had to scatter them. To answer to the claim of UDPS, the president of the electoral commission has asked his commission to include the opposition parties in checking the data in the central sever and do auditing of the electoral forms before and during elections.
Daniel Ngoy Mulunda, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission asks the opposition to provide names of technicians who can join his office just for working together and hope that this will cancel any kind of suspicion for cheating. Hense assures to people the accountability to the Congolese institutions, to the ruling party and the opposition.
Radio Lisanga Télevision (RLTV) a radio belonging to Roger Lumbala, a member of the opposition party supporting Etienne Tchisekedi as the candidate to the next elections, was burned in the night of 6th to 7th September (CHECK DATES) at around 3 AM after Etienne Tchisekedi has handed in his forms of being candidate to Elections.
The national secretary of Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie/National (RCD/N) has declared it to radio Okapi that in the evening of the day before, unknown people have promised to burn that media.
The NGO Journalist En Danger, JED, and Obsevatoire de la liberté de Presse en Afrique (Olpa) blame the violence against radio reporters. In their different letters issued on Tuesday 2nd September, 5 journalists have been victim of violence made by the National Congolese police in the demonstration of UDPS the political party of Etienne Tchisekedi.
The president of OLPA, Allain Kabongo, continued to say that the youth putting on sport cloths behaving as youth in Sport from Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la démocratie (PPRD), the ruling party has oppressed also the radio reporters. ‘’The journalists have been oppressed by people putting on civilians clothes. They have brocken their working materials’’, declaration made by Alain Kabongo. He continued to declare that only Daudet Nsumbu, journalist of Canal Congo Television declared having been aggressed by some policemen.
Reacting to the saying of the representative of the radio reporters, the president of the Youth of PPRD, League Francis Kalombo rejects completly all accusations against thr Youth of PPRD by saying that they are not aggressive, and that hey could not behave in any violence or in a silly way especially towards the radio reporters.
On Monday 5th the office of PPRD, political party of Joseph Kabila was destroyed; office located on boulevard Swede in the district of Kalamu. It happened when member of UDPS of Etienne Tchisekedi president of the main part of opposition were coming were from the office of their political party located on 10th Rue Limete and after handing in his candidature for the presidency.
Tchisekedi was accompanied by members of his party. Near Swede (what’s this?) they felt in the net of the police guarding the head quarter of PPRD. The police shot real bullet in the air and threw gas to scatter members of UDPS followers.
It resulted into more violences and car burned at that place.
On the 6th September the office of UDPS got burned declared Le phare, a newspaper in Kinshasa, in his conference with radio reporters at the inter federal office of UDPS in Kinshasa Lumete, the General Secretary of that political party, Jacques Emen Shabani, has given a partial statistics of damages done against their office.
The office of UDPS has been looted and burned the night of 5th to 6th September 2011. He declared that their office was burned by people putting on soldiers cloths; they were in a police car. Shabani declared that the domage was planned by people on power. He continued to say that when UDPS heard what was planned against their office, they asked the police to come and protect the office against attack but the police did not answer the call.
PPRD made a call through, François Nzegeye, one of the leaders of that political party and an adviser of the general secretary of the Majority of the ruling parties on power, calls members of PPRD and UDPS to keep peace. He asks these two political parties to resolves problems separating them.
The DR Congo government made an announcement on Tuesday 6th September through the vice prime minister and the minister of interior and security, Adolph Lumanu, condemning violences done these days by militants of political parties and sends a call for peace.
He declares: ‘’we are one people and one nation. We need to walk in agreement. Let us avoid actions which may let us not to go for the coming elections, let us keep peace in the nation and keep unity of our country.’’ Adolph Lumanu continued to say that leaders of different political parties have duty to educate members of their parties not to create disorder in public, protecting their private belonging, also contribute to the security of individuals, he continued to insist.
While crises in the capital Kinshasa are increasing, some army lords start to reappear in the eastern part such as Raia Mtomboki in Mwenga and Shabunda where people are not at peace, it is the same for the territory of Fizi where the troops of Yakotumba are operational, in Uvira there are some Colonel such as Nyerere, Baleke and Fujo operating in the mountains of the territory of Uvira.
Some other army lords are likely going appear as mentioned by one member of an opposition political party who did not want his name to be mentioned. All these army lords are not in agreement with the government the actual ruling government deeds.
Looking at the actual crises, Kabongo, a member and an activist of human right living in Kinshasa, thinks that there might be crises such as the one in which happened in Cote d’Ivoire after elections of November 2011. Despite the differences in the views of political parties, they are trying to do their best to have agreements to have only one candidate who will stand against Joseph Kabila. UDPS, UNC, MLC, etc have done some attempt to have one candidate but they failed, as Buhendwa, a political analyst and lecturer of Institut Superieur de Commerce in Uvira, said.
UNC an opposition party leader through Vital Kamerhe its leader, MLC of Jean Pierre Bemba , the UDPS and other opposition parties are calling the Congolese to be very careful so that elections can be peaceful and without cheating.
But the Electoral commission is asking the congolese to trust it, also PPRD the ruling political and other parties coleading on the front positions are assuring the Congolese that there will be no cheating and that everything will be peaceful, people will elect their own leaders as they did in 2006 peacefully.
Rostand Mana, DR Congo
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