Election-related violence throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo dangers undermining normal elections scheduled for December 20, 2023, Human Rights Watch stated immediately. Congolese authorities ought to urgently and impartially examine violent incidents linked to the elections and prosecute these accountable, no matter their political affiliation.
Since early October, Human Rights Watch has documented clashes throughout the nation between supporters of rival political events which have resulted in assaults, sexual violence, and a minimum of one loss of life. Supporters of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress Get together (Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social, UDPS) have been implicated in threats and assaults in opposition to opposition get together leaders and journalists. Opposition supporters have additionally been implicated in violence. Incidents of political violence proceed to be reported.
“Congolese authorities have to act urgently to forestall violence earlier than, throughout, and after the vote, to cease a harmful state of affairs from getting even worse,” stated Thomas Fessy, senior Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Political events and candidates ought to publicize their anti-violence stance and assist make sure that folks have the chance to vote for the candidates of their alternative.”
The elections are for president, members of nationwide and provincial parliaments, and native places of work. Greater than 1.5 million folks won’t be able to vote in areas of energetic battle, primarily within the japanese North Kivu province but additionally within the western province of Mai-Ndombe. Tens of millions of internally displaced folks may not be capable of solid their ballots.
Human Rights Watch interviewed 36 folks by cellphone, together with victims of violence, their members of the family, activists, political get together members, journalists, medical employees, judicial and safety sources, United Nations employees, and election observers.
In a single main incident on November 7, supporters of President Félix Tshisekedi’s UDPS get together clashed with supporters of Moïse Katumbi’s opposition get together, Collectively for the Republic (Ensemble pour la République, often called Ensemble), at a rally in Kasumbalesa, in southeastern Haut-Katanga province. Katumbi’s supporters ransacked an area UDPS chapel’s workplace and UDPS supporters attacked and injured six folks, raped a minimum of two ladies, and sexually assaulted three others, in response to witnesses in addition to safety, medical, and UN sources. 5 cops have been injured. The authorities aren’t identified to have investigated the assaults, together with the stories of bodily and sexual violence.
On November 13, the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (Fee Électorale Nationale Indépendante, CENI) invited presidential candidates to undertake a code of conduct forward of the official election marketing campaign, which started on November 19. The code of conduct outlines the candidates’ “dedication to fight all types of violence within the pre-electoral, electoral, and post-electoral durations.” By signing it, candidates would additionally decide to “respect[ing] the outcomes of the poll field and solely use the authorized channels … to contest the outcomes.” Nonetheless, not one of the important presidential candidates have signed it, some citing a insecurity within the electoral fee and its dedication to a free and truthful election.
The violence and heightened tensions have additionally had an affect on media and journalists. On November 9, nationwide intelligence brokers arrested Raphael Ngoma, a journalist from the Moanda Neighborhood Radio in Moanda, Kongo Central province. He was detained on orders of the territory administrator, Amina Panda, who accused him of broadcasting false details about an opposition rally. He was launched the subsequent day with out cost.
On December 7, Congolese group Journalist in Hazard (Journaliste en Hazard, JED) stated that John Kanyunyu Kyota, a contract journalist who collaborates with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, had been receiving threats by cellphone for his reporting on the election marketing campaign. Fearing for his security, Kanyunyu went into hiding.
Addressing the UN Safety Council on December 11, the top of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo (Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République démocratique du Congo, MONUSCO), Bintou Keita, stated that “violent clashes between supporters of rival political events [were] occurring in lots of provinces.” She additionally stated that girls political leaders and candidates have been experiencing “intimidation in addition to bodily and verbal misogynistic assaults.” She stated she was “alarmed by the proliferation of mis- and disinformation in addition to hate speech, on-line and offline, within the context of the electoral marketing campaign.”
Underneath worldwide human rights regulation, authorities are obligated to take all affordable steps to create and keep an surroundings during which candidates, residents, election officers, journalists, and civil society activists can function free from violence and intimidation. Democratic elections require the safety of freedom of expression and entry to info. The UN Particular Rapporteur on the suitable to freedom of opinion and expression has issued detailed steerage on how to make sure freedom of opinion, expression, and entry to info throughout elections.
The Congolese authorities ought to guarantee the safety and security of all election observers working within the nation. Elections officers ought to publish the outcomes by polling place, each at voting facilities and on its web site, as required by regulation, to discourage any post-election violence and abuses, Human Rights Watch stated.
“Congolese residents throughout the nation ought to be capable of train their proper to vote safely,” Fessy stated. “With the credibility of the electoral course of at stake, Congolese authorities ought to put in place complete plans to guard voters, candidates, election officers, observers, and journalists.”
For extra particulars and accounts please see under.
The Violence in Kasumbalesa
On November 4, a ruling UDPS official often called “Lion’s Coronary heart” warned Katumbi, the Ensemble presidential candidate, that he would danger “getting crushed up” if he campaigned in Kasumbalesa, a border city in southeastern Haut-Katanga province. “If he will get to Kasumbalesa, he’ll face the biceps of … Fatshi béton’s youngsters,” the official stated, utilizing President Tshisekedi’s nickname. The threatening speech, filmed throughout a UDPS rally, was broadly circulated.
The next day, a provincial youth motion supporting Katumbi responded with heinous ethnic-based statements geared toward UDPS supporters, whose strongholds are within the Kasaï provinces. “We adopted the UDPS communication that forbids a son of Katanga, the son of a Katangan native to enter his home,” the youth motion stated. “In the event that they wish to problem us at house [in Katanga], we’ll even have to indicate that we’re natives. We will probably be going to Kasumbalesa subsequent week and we wish to see who can cease us.”
Human Rights Watch beforehand documented ethnic tensions fueled by leaders of the neighboring Katanga and Kasai provinces in the course of the 2011 elections, utilizing hate speech and incitement to violence. These tensions have their roots in historic migration actions between the provinces. Within the early Nineteen Nineties, the then-Katangan authorities forcibly expelled a whole bunch of hundreds of Kasaians from the province and hundreds died.
On November 7, Ensemble supporters held a rally in Kasumbalesa. Rival UDPS supporters attacked the rally armed with wood sticks. Because the rally grew in numbers, crowds fought off the UDPS supporters.
After the rally, Ensemble supporters ransacked the native UDPS headquarters, triggering scuffles between the 2 teams. “Offended UDPS supporters attacked these of Ensemble, specifically the ladies,” a witness stated. “I noticed two ladies … They have been stripped bare, crushed up, and groped. If the police hadn’t intervened, their state of affairs would have been worse.”
A Congolese police officer deployed on the scene stated that the police helped two ladies who had been stripped bare and sexually assaulted to flee the attackers. The officer stated the police have been understaffed and lacked sufficient gear to include violent crowds. “If protesters use rocks, we additionally use rocks,” he stated. “In the event that they use sticks, we do the identical.”
A 51-year-old girl advised Human Rights Watch that she had been crushed and raped: “My comrades and I have been sporting T-shirts bearing the Ensemble insignia. After the rally, I used to be on my method to purchase issues to promote once I encountered a bunch of UDPS supporters who rushed at me and began beating me with sticks. I regained consciousness within the hospital, the place I discovered myself with torn garments. The physician advised me that I had been penetrated with a stick into my vagina.”
Through the incident, assailants raped a minimum of one different girl and stripped and groped three extra, in response to a witness and safety, medical, and UN sources.
The authorities ought to promptly and impartially examine the assaults and sexual violence and appropriately prosecute these discovered accountable. The authorities ought to guarantee victims of sexual violence obtain sufficient medical and psychosocial care.
Different Election-Associated Circumstances
On November 28, within the metropolis of Kindu, an SUV apparently owned by Provincial Governor Afani Idrissa Mangala’s marketing campaign crew struck and killed Dido Kakisingi, 38, Katumbi’s youth league president for the japanese Maniema province. UDPS supporters initially tried to dam Katumbi’s convoy and a crowd of his supporters on one of many metropolis’s important thoroughfares, and Kakisingi requested help from safety forces to clear the trail. UDPS supporters then threw rocks on the convoy, injuring Kakisingi. A white SUV bearing the governor’s marketing campaign adverts and a UDPS flag then hit him, killing him. The police fired warning pictures to disperse the crowds as rigidity escalated amongst rival supporters.
The authorities made two arrests in reference to Kakisingi’s loss of life, in response to judicial sources, however the investigation is stalling due to alleged political interference. “The general public prosecutor’s workplace requested an post-mortem,” a member of the family stated. “However they refused to share the outcomes with us.”
On November 4, folks believed to be UDPS supporters attacked the convoy of the opposition presidential candidate Martin Fayulu. Fayulu and his supporters have been heading to a pre-campaign rally in Tshikapa, Kasaï province. At the least two folks and one policeman have been injured by rocks thrown at them. President Tshisekedi’s spokesperson, in an announcement, condemned such “antidemocratic acts” and “regrett[ed] the political intolerance” that led to the incident.
On October 24, the provincial governor of Kasaï-Central, John Kabeya, a UDPS member, stated at a rally that “if you wish to get votes, go to different provinces, however right here in Kasaï-Central, it’s Tshilombo’s,” a reference to President Tshisekedi, who comes from the province. The federal government’s Communication and Broadcasting Board (Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel et de la communication, CSAC), which ensures press freedom in addition to equal media entry to candidates, stated that Kabeya’s assertion was a “speech of disgrace” that “incit[ed] ethnic-regional hatred, exclusion, and discrimination,” banning its broadcast.
On November 18, police arrested Abel Amundala, Ensemble’s deputy youth chief and parliamentary candidate together with six members of his marketing campaign crew throughout a political assembly in Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga province. Amundala stated that they have been taken to the police station and interrogated about their assembly. The police launched them two hours later with out cost.
On November 20, in Ngandajika, Lomami province, UDPS supporters attacked an Ensemble marketing campaign convoy of vehicles and bikes. UDPS supporters burned the motorbike of Pierre Kaneka, Ensemble’s senior native official. Kaneka stated that the police stationed close by didn’t intervene. He stated that just about concurrently, one other group of UDPS supporters attacked his residence, forcing his spouse to flee. Later that evening, UDPS supporters ransacked Ensemble’s native headquarters. Kaneka stated he has filed a criticism and that one particular person allegedly concerned within the assault had been arrested. Kaneka went into hiding for worry of reprisals.
Worldwide Concern
The African Union and the Southern African Growth Neighborhood (SADC) have each deployed electoral commentary missions to Congo. The Southern African Mission reiterated the SADC Rules and Tips Governing Democratic Elections that “emphasize the implementation of measures to forestall political violence, intimidation, and intolerance.”
In a November assertion issued simply days earlier than the beginning of the official electoral marketing campaign, the United States authorities referred to as for a peaceable electoral course of and stated it will take into account imposing focused sanctions “in opposition to those that undermine democracy in [Congo].”
On December 8, the European Union warned it will impose focused sanctions in opposition to “any particular person obstructing a consensual and peaceable answer in the direction of the upcoming elections, together with by acts of violence, repression or inciting violence, or by undermining the rule of regulation or concerned in severe human rights violations or abuses.” The EU cancelled its countrywide commentary mission after the Congolese authorities didn’t authorize the usage of satellite tv for pc gear for its deployment. Some Congolese civil society teams stated the federal government’s choice “[gave] the impression of a hidden agenda in the course of the elections.” The EU deployed an eight-person skilled mission to the capital, Kinshasa, as a substitute.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
