UN Concerned By Fighting In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Ahead Of December Elections

Political tensions have devolved into outright violence preceding December elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Fighting has ensued between those who favor the reelection of President Joseph Kabila and those who fear that his continued leadership will further entrench autocratic norms in the country. As the DRC is already facing inter-ethnic conflict, militia violence, and an incredibly severe Ebola outbreak, this new political strain has the United Nations (UN) worried that the DRC will not be able to hold free and fair elections in a month’s time.

The United Nations hopes to exert pressure on the government in Kinshasa by airing its concerns to the entire international community. According to Leila Zerrogui, the head of the UN Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) in the DRC, the UN has continued to “face major challenges in implementing [its] mandate.” The most afflicted areas, she attests, are those in the eastern region of the country, such as North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika, where Ebola outbreaks are most prevalent. She has further warned the international community that a lack of adequate intervention efforts would allow for the possibility of “armed group interference throughout eastern DRC,” which could further undermine the nascent democratic institutions in the country. As a result, Zerrogui has called on Kinshasa to “take steps in the coming weeks to secure polls, particularly to ensure the participation of women, who make up 50 percent of registered voters” in the DRC. Kinshasa, however, openly rejects these claims and has made no such actions, according to the BBC. The DRC’s government claims that the UN is dramatically exaggerating the severity of the situation in order to undermine support for the current administration, and is outraged by the international humiliation the UN is catalyzing.

While the original action of postponing the presidential election in 2016 was indicative Kabila’s autocratic interests, it is essential to note that the current issues in the DRC are as much a result of underdeveloped institutions as they are a result of poor leadership. Today, the DRC consistently ranks among the lowest countries on the Failed States Index, UN Human Development Index, and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. This means that, regardless of which leader is in power at a given time, the country is consistently unable to solve the issues affecting its citizens because the government cannot exert enough control within its territory. Therefore, whether citizens are aware of this issue or not, the actions that they are taking to protest Kabila are only nominally productive and fail to combat the issues at the core of Congolese democracy. These same concerns apply to the actions of the international community as well. The $27 billion in aid that the international community has provided to the DRC since 2000, along with other intervention efforts, consistently fail to combat the lack of institutional infrastructure that is essential to effective governance. If international efforts are to succeed in bringing long-lasting peace and stability to the DRC, it is essential that they work not only on providing human rights, but also ensuring an effective and equitable use of resources by the government.

Regardless of the results of the election in the coming months, it is likely that political conflict will continue. The phenomenon of conflict displacement continues to force many people living in conflict-ridden areas to flee their homes. The BBC reports that it affected over 1.7 million individuals in 2007 alone. Although the nearly 17,000 UN personnel on the ground in the DRC are making incremental strides, the lack of sustainable solutions to combat forced migration, the continued outbreak of Ebola, and insurgency conflicts with militia groups indicate a difficult future for the Congolese people.

The outcomes of the elections in December should provide the international community with more direction as to how to approach the many problems in the DRC. Should the elections be deemed free and usher in a new leader, it is essential that the international community work with them to strengthen the institutions and democratic structures in the country. Conversely, if the elections reinstate the increasingly autocratic Kabila government, the international community must condemn the government and continue to contribute services to the Congolese people that Kinshasa will invariably fail to provide.

Luke O'Grady

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