The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, has warned that unrest in the east of the country could hamper preparations for elections scheduled to be held this year.
The elections are scheduled for 20 December. The country’s electoral commission has already started registering voters.
However, conflict with the M-23 rebel group in the east of the DRC could make it difficult for free and fair elections to be held. The group, which is believed to be receiving support from Rwanda, has been active for many years, but began ramping up its operations against Kinshasa in the past year. This has seen hundreds of thousands of people displaced in the region.
Speaking at the United Nations, Tshisekedi was quoted as saying: ‘The persistence of the war in the east of our country risks jeopardising the electoral process, which is already underway, due to a massive displacement of people from combat zones, the insecurity, and the inaccessibility of these areas.’
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