Human Rights Watch warned on Saturday, calling on authorities to “act urgently” to prevent violent voting in the Dec. 20 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a tense political and security climate, almost 44 million Congolese voters are called to vote next Wednesday in presidential elections in which outgoing head of state Félix Tshisekedi as well as parliamentarians, provincial and local elections are running.
In a report, HRW said it had “documented clashes between supporters of rival political parties across the country since early October, resulting in assaults, sexual violence and at least one death.”
According to the human rights NGO, “supporters of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party were involved in threats and attacks against opposition leaders and journalists.”
“Opposition supporters were also involved in violence,” HRW added, emphasizing that “violent incidents related to the elections continue to be reported.”
This violence “risks jeopardizing the conduct of general elections,” HRW said.
“The Congolese authorities should act urgently to prevent violence before, during and after the vote and to prevent an already dangerous situation from becoming even worse,” recommends Thomas Fessy, senior researcher for the Democratic Republic of Congo at HRW.
According to him, parties and candidates should “take a public stand against the violence and help ensure that citizens have the opportunity to vote for the candidates of their choice.”
HRW also recalls in its report that more than 1.5 million people “in conflict-affected areas,” particularly in the east of the country, are unable to vote, and that “millions of displaced people within the countries may also be unable to vote.”