Our website use cookies to improve and personalize your experience and to display advertisements (if any). Our website may also include cookies from third parties like Google Adsense, Google Analytics, and Youtube. By using the website, you consent to the use of cookies.

Congo election commission overspent, awarded opaque contracts- report

Congo election commission overspent, awarded opaque contracts- report

CONGO'S national election commission failed to account for $400 million of funds it received from the state and awarded opaque procurement contracts ahead of the disputed December general election, an EU-funded civil society report. The report said the electoral commission, known as CENI, was also blighted by budget overruns, an issue that has plagued President Felix Tshisekedi's administration. It urged Congo's justice department to open investigations into the management of the funds allocated to CENI for the electoral process. Technical mishaps, missing materials and a last-minute extension of voting have stoked disputes over the December poll, leading main opposition candidates to allege fraud…
Read More
The latest results in Congo’s disputed election

The latest results in Congo’s disputed election

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo is gradually releasing preliminary results from the December 20 presidential election following a chaotic vote and an unscheduled ballot extension that have led the opposition to demand a re-run. Below are the latest figures from the election commission, known as the CENI, along with details about how the commission is counting votes and releasing its tally, and why critics are disputing the results. WHAT DO THE LATEST RESULTS SHOW? The latest CENI update on Thursday showed President Tshisekedi well ahead of his 18 challengers, with just over 76% of around 12.5 million votes counted so far.…
Read More
Congo bans opposition election protest scheduled for Wednesday

Congo bans opposition election protest scheduled for Wednesday

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's government banned an opposition protest over last week's chaotic national election as early results showed President Felix Tshisekedi in the lead. Five opposition presidential candidates called the joint demonstration in the capital Kinshasa over alleged election irregularities. But on Tuesday the government banned the event, saying it did not have a legal basis and was aimed at undermining the electoral process while the election commission was still compiling results. "No government in the world can accept this, so we will not let it happen," Vice Prime Minister Peter Kazadi told a press conference, referring to the protest. The…
Read More
How Congo’s election could unfold and why it matters

How Congo’s election could unfold and why it matters

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo held presidential and legislative elections this week against a backdrop of militia violence in the east, a chaotic campaign and claims the electoral commission was not prepared to hold a free and fair vote. Here are some key facts about how the election could unfold. WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR? Voting started on December 20 as planned, but some polling stations opened late and some didn't open at all due to machines malfunctioning, violence and other issues. Because of the issues, authorities decided to extend voting into a second day at polling stations that had failed to open.…
Read More
Congo extends voting for some after election marred by delays

Congo extends voting for some after election marred by delays

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo will extend voting in its presidential and legislative elections into Thursday for those unable to vote on Wednesday due to issues in opening some polling stations, the election commission said. The decision, which caps a chaotic and delay-plagued election day, is likely to meet with pushback from the opposition and independent observers, who have already warned such an extension would undermine confidence in the results. At stake is not just the legitimacy of the next administration. Congolese election disputes often spark unrest with potentially far-reaching consequences. Congo is the world's third-largest copper producer, and the top…
Read More
Congo opposition party says activist killed in violence at election rally

Congo opposition party says activist killed in violence at election rally

A Congolese youth activist was killed by stones pelted during an opposition campaign rally in the east-central city of Kindu, the party of presidential candidate Moise Katumbi said. The Together for the Republic party accused local authorities of seeking to stifle the opposition and allowing unnamed attackers to hurl stones during the campaign event at which Katumbi and two other opposition candidates who backed him for the December 20 election appeared. "This violence ... caused the tragic death of Mr Dido Kakisingi," the party said in a statement. Kakisingi, a lawyer and father of six, was the head of a political youth…
Read More
Congo electoral panel promises fair presidential poll but some candidates see flaws

Congo electoral panel promises fair presidential poll but some candidates see flaws

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's electoral commission said it was ready to provide fair and credible polls next month despite a spiralling security crisis in the east and concerns about transparency in the run-up to the December 20 general election. Campaigning is scheduled to begin next week after a tense and delayed registration period that opposition candidates deemed flawed and favours the ruling coalition. Last month, several presidential candidates demanded measures from the commission to prevent potential fraud. Congo's Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) president Denis Kadima met all 26 candidates in the capital Kinshasa on Monday and said the body was committed to organising…
Read More
Eight UN peacekeepers detained in Congo over sexual abuse claims

Eight UN peacekeepers detained in Congo over sexual abuse claims

EIGHT U.N. peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been detained over allegations of sexual abuse, sources told Reuters, as the U.N. said it would investigate unspecified serious misconduct. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo, known as MONUSCO, said in a statement that it had suspended a number of its peacekeepers in response to reports of the misconduct without giving further details. A U.N. source and a Congolese security source said the allegations concerned eight South African peacekeepers in the eastern city of Beni. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss it…
Read More
Congo opposition spokesman shot dead months before election

Congo opposition spokesman shot dead months before election

THE spokesman for one of the Democratic Republic of Congo's main opposition parties was shot dead, authorities said, raising tensions ahead of national elections in December. Video shared on social media purported to show the bullet-ridden body of Cherubin Okende, a former transport minister who was also a member of parliament, slumped inside his car. Reuters has not verified the footage. Firmin Mvonde Mambu, prosecutor general of the Court of Cassation, told reporters that Okende's body was found in a car, secured with a seat belt, with the engine and air conditioning still running. "Death came by gunshot. A gun…
Read More
Angola, Congo and Zambia bet on iconic railway to tap critical minerals

Angola, Congo and Zambia bet on iconic railway to tap critical minerals

UNTIL the 1970s, the Lobito rail corridor was one of the busiest transport routes in Africa, linking Southern and Central Africa's inland markets with the rest of the world and serving as the shortest export route for goods and commodities flowing to Europe and America. The iconic railway built nearly 100 years ago was part of a vast extractive network facilitating trade in, among other things, copper, cobalt, coal, zinc, lead, timber, sugar, maise, and coffee. However, after civil war broke out in Angola in 1975, rail operations were suspended by Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and…
Read More