Democratic Republic of Congo's President Joseph Kabila arrives for a southern and central African leaders' meeting to discuss the political crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Luanda, Angola, October 26, 2016. © 2016 Reuters

The deal calls for elections in December, opening the way to the country’s first democratic transition of power. But despite the tireless efforts of Congo’s Catholic bishops, the January 28 deadline for an agreement on how the deal should be implemented passed with many issues unresolved.

President Joseph Kabila and the country’s political elite have a lot of work to do if they want to salvage the deal and convince the population they are committed to organizing elections. Serious engagement from Congo’s international and regional partners is also critical – including technical support during the negotiations and in planning elections, and continued pressure on Kabila to support implementation of the deal and reverse the climate of repression.

One of the main points of disagreement concerns how the new prime minister will be appointed. Many in the opposition contend that Kabila should nominate the individual chosen by the Rassemblement opposition coalition, citing language in the deal that says that the Rassemblement will choose the new prime minister. Those in Kabila’s majority coalition say that the president should be given a choice of several names from which to choose.

The composition of the new government also remains a point of contention. While delegates to the talks finally came to an agreement on the size of the new government – and how many ministerial and vice-ministerial positions each coalition would get – there is still no agreement on who gets which posts, especially the more important positions like the budget, defense, justice, and interior ministries. There’s now agreement on the structure of the national council charged with following-up on implementation of the agreement and the electoral process, but disagreements persist regarding who will hold which posts within the council.

Congolese Catholic Church (CENCO) Bishops Fidele Nsielele (left), Marcel Utembi (center), and Fridolin Ambongo (right) arrive to mediate talks between the opposition and the government of President Joseph Kabila in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa, December 21, 2016. © 2016 Reuters

There’s also disagreement on the role the Catholic Church should play during the transition, with the opposition calling for bishops to continue to play a robust role until elections are held, and the majority saying the president needs to first clarify this point.

While the current prime minister, Samy Badibanga, has yet to sign the deal, most other holdouts have now come on board, and on January 28, the majority coalition officially backed the deal and removed their earlier “reservations.” Kabila himself has not signed the agreement, although he’s reportedly said in meetings that he supports the deal and gave the go-ahead for his representatives to sign.

And while delegates have been busy debating these other issues, no progress has been made on establishing a new electoral calendar.

Progress has also been slow regarding “décrispation,” or confidence-building measures. While some political prisoners and activists have been released, dozens are still in detention.

Moni Della from the opposition Conservateurs de la Nature et Démocrates (CONADE) political party – one of the seven “emblematic” cases discussed during the dialogue – was provisionally released on January 28, but charges against him have not been dropped. Della was arrested more than four months earlier and accused of inciting the population to pillage during demonstrations in Kinshasa on September 19. Roger Lumbala has returned to Kinshasa from exile, but the five other “emblematic cases” have not been released or officially cleared of charges, including Moïse Katumbi, Jean-Claude Muyambo, Eugène Diomi Ndongala, Floribert Anzuluni, and Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi.

Two LUCHA youth activists in Mbuji-Mayi, Jean-Paul Mualaba Biaya and Nicolas Mbiya Kabeya, were acquitted today. They remain in prison but are expected to be released in the coming days. Eight other pro-democracy activists are also still in detention, including the four LUCHA activists in Goma: Fabrice Mutsirwa, Jacques Muhindo, Fiston Dunia, and Glody Ntambwe; the LUCHA activist in Kinshasa: Musasa Tshibanda; and three activists from Compte à Rembours in Kinshasa: Chris Shematsi, John Ngandu, and Samuel Bosasele. They’ve all been held since before the deal was signed.

Another activist from Compte à Rembours, Bobo Mpolesha, was arrested in Kinshasa on January 7 and taken to a military intelligence prison where he was badly beaten. He was released on January 21 and is recovering from wounds inflicted on him during his detention.

One arbitrarily closed media outlet close to the opposition, Canal Congo Télévison (CCTV), was allowed back on the air. But at least six other outlets are still blocked: Radio Lisanga Télévision (RLTV), Radiotélévision Lubumbashi JUA (RTLJ), Nyota Télévision, Radiotélévision Mapendo, La Voix du Katanga, and Congo News. The signal for Radio France Internationale (RFI) has now been blocked for nearly three months in Kinshasa and neighboring Brazzaville, despite calls by the French government and others for Congo’s most important international news outlet to be allowed back on the air.

And there is still no justice for the scores of people killed last year by state security forces during protests against Kabila’s attempts to stay in power beyond the end of his constitutionally mandated two-term limit on December 19.