The pre-election period in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is marked by “repression”. In its statement released Tuesday, August 22, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch said that the country’s authorities “have targeted leaders of opposition political parties” and that “the recent wave of arrests and restrictions of fundamental freedoms” mainly targets the competitors of President Félix Tshisekedi, candidate for his re-election in the presidential election of December 20, which will be coupled with that of national and provincial deputies, as well as municipal councillors.
According to the human rights organization, this climate became tense after the head of state’s speech in June. “I will never, ever be the gravedigger of the Congo and the Congolese. On the other hand, I will attack without hesitation, without remorse, any Congolese who would endanger the security and stability of our country, had warned Félix Tshisekedi. No matter what they say: violation of human rights, deprivation of freedoms… I will not budge because I am a democrat, I will remain a democrat. I have no lessons to take from anyone in these areas. »
For Thomas Fessy, HRW’s principal researcher, the country’s authorities must reverse this trend to avoid aggravating “an already extremely tense situation”.
“Silencing”
During the month of May, a peaceful demonstration held by opposition parties was repressed by the police, resulting in at least thirty injuries, including a child, and around ten arrests.
Moïse Katumbi, one of the main rivals of the head of state for the presidential election, multiplies the disappointments. His senior adviser, Salomon Idi Kalonda, was arrested on the tarmac at N’Djili International Airport in Kinshasa by military intelligence agents. Since August 14, he has been formally charged with “treason”, “possession of classified documents” and “incitement of military personnel to commit acts contrary to their duty”. His trial is due to begin on September 18.
The former governor of the former mining province of Katanga also lost one of his party’s executives, the former transport minister and deputy Chérubin Okende in a murky affair. His body was found riddled with bullets in his car on July 13. In response, Moïse Katumbi had denounced “a political assassination” in order to “reduce him to silence”.
As for Martin Fayulu, Delly Sesanga and Augustin Matata Ponyo, also declared presidential candidates, they were prevented from holding a sit-in with their supporters in front of the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to protest against what they called it a “chaotic electoral process”. “Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and beat some protesters,” the HRW statement said. According to the NGO, a similar scenario took place in the city of Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga), where the police had blocked certain streets to avoid any gathering.
“Classic” Situation
For Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communication and spokesman for the Congolese government, this increase in pressure is a “classic” situation in the run-up to the elections. He assures that “no strategy of repression has been put in place against opponents who victimize themselves and weigh nothing to scare us”.
He also regretted the “tendentious” nature of the HWR press release: “They took care to give the floor to opponents, diplomats and the family of Chérubin Okende without giving it to the government. We feel (that the organization) is taking a stand and that is not surprising. Mr. Muyaya points out that there is a difference between the actions taken by the security forces during their interventions and the government. “Everyone knows that the CENI headquarters is inviolable. When the officials of this institution asked the opponents to send their delegates for a discussion, did they do so? We forget all the same that twenty-seven police officers were injured on this occasion, ”argues the minister.
For its part, the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) claimed in its semi-annual report published on August 17 to have “documented 116 human rights violations” in the period between January 1 and June 30, compared to 167 between July and December 2022. On the list, “at least 30 election-related incidents (…) which resulted in at least 80 victims, including 15 summary and extrajudicial executions and 60 victims of violations and abuses of the right to physical integrity”. Patrick Muyaya insists that these violations have been recorded throughout the country, particularly in areas under the control of armed groups and that the power of Kinshasa is not responsible for any summary execution.