Kabila Pushing DR Congo Towards Civil War – New York Times

As President-elect Trump considers his potential cabinet appointments, there are many who argue that a Trump Administration would be bad for Congo’s President Joseph Kabila. Now, as reports surface that Mr. Kabila continues to close the political space in the DRC, he seems to be preparing to ignore the mandate of his country’s Constitution requiring him to step down on December 19

The New York Times recently published an editorial and opined on the situation in the DRC saying:

Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the latest power-hungry leader to try to extend his rule beyond his elected term, which ends next month…

The move could reignite civil war and destabilize the entire region, according to activists and human rights groups. There is an ominous precedent: Millions died in conflicts in Congo between 1998 and 2003 that drew in armies from neighboring countries, and the fear is that a new war will do likewise.

As pressure mounts on the government, Mr. Kabila has done what embattled governments often do: crack down on the media that provide citizens with their most reliable news. Radio France International and the United Nations-funded Radio Okapi have both had their signals jammed recently. Also, increasing numbers of political activists have been arrested.

African nations can fight back against Mr. Kabila’s dangerous power grab by joining Security Council members in sending a forceful message that the president must leave office on Dec. 19, as originally planned. Experts from Congo say that the president of the federal Senate could take over instead. If Mr. Kabila balks at leaving office, the Security Council and the European Union should tighten sanctions, as Washington has done, on senior leaders in Congo, including Mr. Kabila, until a new government takes over.

Following is background and supporting information for the editorial:

Prime Minister of the DRC, Augustin Matata Ponyo, resigned his post as part of a political deal settled in October between the ruling party and some opposition members. The October dialogues ended with the President Kabila staying in his role and a member of the participating opposition groups taking over key positions of Kabila’s and the renewal of the nationwide voter register. The compromise deal ended with an agreement for elections in spring of 2018. However, many opposition groups didn’t participate including the alliance behind Moise Katumbi and Etiene Tshekeidi.

Samy Badibanga was appointed Prime Minster of the new unity government, a part of the compromise, power-sharing deal between participants of October’s dialogues.

Two radio stations went dark and two journalists of a third station were arrested. Radio France Internationale (RFI) and United Nations Radio Okapi have been off air since November 4. The two journalists from Radio Television Maika de Kolwezi were arrested, November 7 after broadcasting a phone interview with opposition presidential candidate Moise Katumbi.

Finally, a decree was signed on November 12th mandating that foreign media outlets “operate in DR Congo “with a majority participation by Congolese in the capital of said company.” Essentially mandating that outlets register as local companies. Outlets were given 30 days to come into compliance with the new rules.

All of these developments come on the heels of a visit from members of the UN Security Council. During the UNSC visit members stressed the need for a peaceful transition of power. During the Security Council visit President Kabila was asked to confirm he would not run in the election, he responded the Constitution was clear that there could be no third term but it could be amended.

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