[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"core\/picturefill,entity_embed\/caption,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305653__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"305653","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/305653","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305653__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_reI-6YIYy-k9pvxm-gaCRrn5cSrTZRtyAMrp4YXDUJw.css\u0022 \/\u003E\n"},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VkK39bvB4H6LLVemwPFz8QWcUMTFqZ3FFo_LBVv_4vs.js"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305653__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305653__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-center embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--center\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32432\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706africa_drc_kofiannan.jpg?itok=pBB3NrxI 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706africa_drc_kofiannan.jpg?itok=hdz57zLo 850w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706africa_drc_kofiannan.jpg?itok=hdz57zLo\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u0022599\u0022 alt=\u0022Kofi Annan\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewbox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=#sprite-expand\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EKofi Annan\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2016 Reuters\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EMore than six months after President Joseph Kabila\u2019s constitutionally mandated two-term limit ended in December, credible democratic elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo are still nowhere in sight.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tContrary to the main tenets of the so-called New Year\u2019s Eve agreement \u2013 which sets out how a transition would be managed until elections are held before the end of December 2017 \u2013 Kabila\u2019s ruling coalition has appointed a new government that excludes members of the main opposition coalition, the oversight council has yet to be appointed, there is still no electoral calendar, and the \u201cconfidence building measures\u201d outlined in the agreement have not been implemented. Meanwhile, government repression continues against those calling for timely elections. Kabila himself \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.spiegel.de\/international\/world\/spiegel-interview-with-congo-president-joseph-kabila-a-1150521.html\u0022\u003Esaid\u003C\/a\u003E in a recent interview he had made no promises, refusing to rule out the possibility of a third term or make a clear commitment on when elections will be held.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tIn June, security forces arrested or forcibly disappeared at least seven members of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) political party, while the opposition members were attempting to mobilize people to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis#blog-300008\u0022\u003Eregister to vote\u003C\/a\u003E.\u00a0All seven have been held in incommunicado detention without charge and with no access to family or lawyers.\u00a0The apparent strategy to prevent opposition members from participating in the democratic process raises serious doubts about the government\u2019s willingness to hold transparent and fair elections.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tFor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis#blog-303459\u0022\u003Eseveral months\u003C\/a\u003E, Congo\u2019s international and regional partners gave Congolese authorities the benefit of the doubt \u2013 easing up the pressure while hoping the New Year\u2019s Eve \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis#blog-298259\u0022\u003Eagreement\u003C\/a\u003E would be implemented. Now they are once again sounding the alarm.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThe European Union and United States \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2017\/06\/01\/dr-congo-eu-us-sanction-top-officials\u0022\u003Eimposed\u003C\/a\u003E new targeted sanctions against top Congolese officials on May 29 and June 1, sending a clear message there are consequences for the ongoing repression and election delays. The US sanctions showed that Kabila does not have the unconditional support from the new Trump administration that many Congolese officials were hoping for, while the European sanctions went higher up the chain of command than \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2016\/12\/16\/dr-congo-profiles-individuals-sanctioned-eu-and-us\u0022\u003Eearlier sanctions\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThe European Parliament also weighed in with a new \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/sides\/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2f%2fEP%2f%2fTEXT%2bTA%2bP8-TA-2017-0264%2b0%2bDOC%2bXML%2bV0%2f%2fEN\u0026amp;language=EN\u0022\u003Eresolution\u003C\/a\u003E on June 14, denouncing the \u201ccontinuous cycles of conflict and brutal political repression\u201d and strongly regretting \u201cthe delays in organizing the next presidential and legislative elections\u201d in Congo and the \u201clack of progress\u201d in implementing the New Year\u2019s Eve agreement. The parliament called \u201cfor further investigations of, and sanctions to be extended against, the persons responsible, at the highest level of government, for the violence and crimes\u201d committed in Congo.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tAfter a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jeuneafrique.com\/444522\/politique\/moise-katumbi-depose-plainte-contre-rdc-devant-lonu\/\u0022\u003Ecomplaint\u003C\/a\u003E and request for physical protection filed on June 2 by Congo\u2019s self-exiled opposition leader and Kabila\u2019s main rival, Mo\u00efse Katumbi, a letter was made public on June 16, in which the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights calls on the Congolese government to take all necessary measures to ensure that Katumbi can \u201creturn to Congo\u201d and \u201cparticipate freely and in complete safety, as a candidate, in the presidential elections,\u201d which includes protecting him from arbitrary arrest or detention. After initially bringing charges against Katumbi for alleged recruitment of mercenaries, a court in Lubumbashi \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2016\/05\/09\/dr-congo-crackdown-presidential-aspirant\u0022\u003Econvicted\u003C\/a\u003E him \u003Cem\u003Ein \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eabsentia\u003C\/em\u003E in June 2016 for forgery regarding a real estate deal many years earlier and sentenced him to three years in prison. Congo\u2019s Catholic bishops have denounced the judicial proceedings as \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/content\/303459\u0022\u003Enothing but farces\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d This week Congo\u2019s justice minister \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.radiookapi.net\/2017\/06\/19\/actualite\/politique\/rdc-moise-katumbi-peut-rentrer-quand-il-veut-mais-devra-se-presenter\u0022\u003Epresented\u003C\/a\u003E a possible new roadblock for Katumbi, saying that, if there\u2019s evidence that he has dual nationality, he could not be a candidate in presidential elections.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tAfrican leaders have also taken a stand. On June 15, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and nine former African presidents launched an \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.kofiannanfoundation.org\/supporting-democracy-and-elections-with-integrity\/appeal-democratic-transition-drc\/\u0022\u003Eurgent appeal\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d to President Kabila and other Congolese leaders for a peaceful, democratic transition. They warned that the future of the country is in \u201cgrave danger\u201d in light of its political situation in, \u201cwhich represents a threat to the stability, prosperity and peace of the Great Lakes region, and indeed for Africa as a whole.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tOfficials from Congo\u2019s powerful southwestern neighbor Angola also appear increasingly \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-congo-angola-idUSKBN19C0E7\u0022\u003Econcerned\u003C\/a\u003E about Kabila\u2019s inability to resolve the crises facing the country, including horrific levels of violence in Congo\u2019s central Kasai region that forced more than 30,000 people to flee across the border into Angola.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tIn what many viewed as a sign that Congolese officials are not \u2018protected\u2019 and can be held accountable for past crimes, media \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jeuneafrique.com\/447756\/politique\/rdc-justice-belge-ouvre-enquete-alexis-thambwe-mwamba\/\u0022\u003Ereported\u003C\/a\u003E recently that a Belgian court has opened an investigation into the role of Congo\u2019s current justice minister, Alexis Thambwe Mwamba\u003Cem\u003E,\u003C\/em\u003E in the shooting down of a civilian jetliner in 1998.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThambwe was already facing the heat, with many activists in Congo \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.radiookapi.net\/2017\/06\/14\/actualite\/en-bref\/evasion-la-prison-de-beni-la-lucha-reclame-la-demission-de-shadari-et\u0022\u003Ecalling\u003C\/a\u003E for his resignation after a series of prison breaks across the country. Five prisons have been attacked and more than 5,000 prisoners escaped in recent weeks, fueling insecurity and setting justice efforts back for years. On May 17, unknown assailants launched a large-scale, coordinated attack on the central prison in the capital, Kinshasa, allowing at least 4,000 prisoners to flee under mysterious circumstances. Two days later, 14 prisoners escaped in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.radiookapi.net\/2017\/05\/20\/actualite\/securite\/kalemie-14-prevenus-sevadent-du-cachot-de-la-police\u0022\u003EKalemie\u003C\/a\u003E, Tanganyika province, while another 68 reportedly broke free in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.radiookapi.net\/2017\/05\/19\/actualite\/securite\/kongo-central-la-quasi-totalite-de-detenus-sevadent-de-la-prison-de#sthash.HxZbDBSw.dpuf\u0022\u003EKasangulu\u003C\/a\u003E in Kongo Central province. On June 10, assailants attacked the prosecutor\u2019s office and a police prison in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.radiookapi.net\/2017\/06\/10\/actualite\/justice\/kinshasa-attaque-du-parquet-de-matete-2-morts-et-17-evades\u0022\u003EMatete\u003C\/a\u003E, Kinshasa, setting 17 prisoners free. This incident was followed by a massive prison break the next day in Beni, North Kivu province, where more than 930 prisoners escaped. Early on June 19, shots were fired close to the prison in the town of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.radiookapi.net\/2017\/06\/19\/actualite\/societe\/butembo-des-coups-de-feu-entendus-aux-abords-de-la-prison-centrale-de\u0022\u003EButembo\u003C\/a\u003E, also in North Kivu province.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThe Congolese government has also been under pressure to accept an independent \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2017\/06\/23\/dr-congo-un-experts-investigate-kasai-region-violence\u0022\u003Einternational investigation\u003C\/a\u003E into alleged abuses in the Kasai region of central Congo by the Congolese army and militia groups. More than 3,300 people have been killed in the region since last August, according to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/soniarolley\/status\/877074541528461312\u0022\u003ECatholic Church\u003C\/a\u003E, while over 600 schools have been \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/media\/media_96397.html\u0022\u003Eattacked\u003C\/a\u003E or destroyed and more than 1.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThe renewed pressure on the government will only be effective if it is sustained, targeted, and well-coordinated at the national, regional, and international levels. This is needed to stop the escalation of violence, repression, and instability across the country and get progress toward a peaceful, democratic transition back on track.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]