APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have not approved a request from the East African Community to observe polls raising tensions between the country and the regional block.
About 40 million Congolese voters are expected to go to the polls for the next presidential election on 20 December with outgoing President Félix Tshisekedi seeking a second, and final, five-year term in office.
In a statement seen by APA Tuesday, EAC said that DRC, which is a member of the block, had not approved their request to observe the polls.
The DRC however had allowed Africa Union and Southern African Development Community observers to participate in the polls, raising tensions between the country and the regional block.
“This is to notify the EAC Partner States, Development Partners and all other Stakeholders that EAC will not physically be present in DRC to observe her 2023 General Elections as provided for in the Treaty Establishing the East African Community and as it has been the practice since the inception of the EAC,” reads part of the statement.
The statement adds that this development is because although EAC was ready, the request to undertake the exercise has not been granted by the relevant authorities.
“The EAC wishes the Government and the people of DRC peaceful elections and remains committed to discharge our mandate to all Partner States.”
The DRC will hold general elections on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, for president of the Republic and national and provincial assembly and municipal positions.
The development comes just weeks after Kinshasa refused to renew the mandate of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) which was deployed to stabilise the eastern part of the country.
Tshisekedi accused EACRF of being inactive and looking on idly as M23 rebels captured territory and engaged in new battles with Congolese soldiers.
Despite being a new member of EAC, Congo’s heart appears to be elsewhere. It joined the EAC in 2022.
Earlier Sunday, Kenyan President William Ruto of Kenya spoke out on the dispute between his country and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after his government declined to arrest some individuals who identify themselves as Congolese dissidents.
The individuals who include Corneille Nangaa, the former head of DR Congo’s electoral body, announced on Friday in Nairobi that nine Congolese rebel groups, including the M23, had united to form “the Congo River Alliance (AFC).”, according to reports obtained by APA Monday.
“Kenya is a democracy; we cannot arrest anybody who has issued a statement. We don’t arrest people who have made a statement, we arrest criminals. If anybody has committed any crime, we will go out of our way to deal with them,” President Ruto said.
CU/abj/APA