Mercury - Despite violence, DRC 'is ready for elections'

Despite violence, DRC 'is ready for elections'

By Beauregard Tromp & Reuters

Kinshasa: Gunmen killed up to seven people at an election rally in eastern Congo on Monday and political violence also erupted in the capital, Kinshasa, yesterday.

The United Nations called the situation "precarious", but the South African government insisted that the country would be ready for elections on July 30 and dismissed calls for a postponement.

Unidentified gunmen killed the seven during a rally at Mugogo, 15km east of Rutshuru, in Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, where marauding bands of rebels and militias still terrorise the civilian population.

And in the capital police fired teargas in running battles with opposition supporters who ran riot in the streets, assaulting supporters of other parties, burning or tearing down their banners and posters, torching vehicles and stoning and petrol-bombing a police station.

Riot police fired teargas to disperse them, apparently trying to prevent the crowd meeting up with the mourners at the funeral of veteran journalist Bapuwa Mwaba, who was recently murdered. Newspapers also cancelled yesterday's editions as mark of respect for Mwamba.

Most protestors appeared to be supporters of the opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress Party, led by veteran politician Etienne Tshisekedi, who will not be participating in the election. He originally boycotted the preparations for elections and then tried to register too late and was not allowed to stand. His supporters have been protesting against the elections ever since.

In Pretoria yesterday, Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said he had visited the DRC at the weekend and had been assured by Bill Swing, head of the UN peacekeeping mission Monuc, that it could deal with the insecurity in the east of the country.

Pahad was with a delegation of ministers from the Southern African Development Community to assess the country's readiness for elections and met all the relevant players.

"Based on our discussions and observations we came to the conclusion that despite numerous challenges, the people of the DRC were eagerly desirous and ready for democratic elections for which they have awaited for over 40 years.

"And so we don't accept any calls for delay." - Mercury Foreign Service

Published on the web by Mercury on July 19, 2006.