The effigies and belongings of some candidates in the elections were torn apart on Tuesday, November 21, in the territories of Kabare, Mwenga, and Kalehe (South Kivu).
The provincial civil society regrets that these incidents occurred only three days after the start of the electoral campaign for the December 2023 elections.
This citizen organization reports having recorded cases of threats in the territory of Kabare.
Then in the territory of Mwenga and Kalehe, where the effigies of some candidates and other belongings have been torn and sabotaged in some places.
“We have just been alerted by some candidates, and we ourselves have seen that there are people of ill will who begin to remove or tear up the effigies of other candidates. We would like to call on candidates to educate their sympathetic members because we must go to the elections in a free, democratic and peaceful manner. There is life after the elections and we need peace after these elections,” stated an official of the civil society in South Kivu.
For its part, the Congolese national police based in South Kivu has assured that they are working professionally to better secure the ongoing electoral process.
“We will act with professionalism for the security of all the actors in the process, candidates, voters, offices and sites, results compilation centers. So, it’s a huge task that is assigned to the police,” emphasized the provincial commissioner of the PNC in South Kivu, Roger Isiyo.
The electoral law forbids cases of slippage, intolerance, and incitement to violence throughout the electoral campaign.
MMC / RO