According to several reports from experts, local and international organizations, armed and political conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have caused more than eight million deaths (more deaths than those of the holocaust and genocides already known ); and thrown more than ten million Congolese on the road of internal displacement and refuge.

Former President Joseph Kabila (now Senator) completed two terms and did not want to leave office. He changed the constitution and the laws of the country several times to stay in power. He and his government did not want to organize free and credible elections! Civilians who tried to demonstrate peacefully were violently repressed. Many organizations and independent researchers produced countless reports on the gruesome situations causing political instability. Joseph Kabila and his government did all their best to make sure there was no election in the DR Congo but because of too much pressure from the people inside and the human rights organizations outside; the finally accepted to hold something like election.

More than one million Congolese were prevented from voting in three opposition-dominated areas of the country, where the polls were postponed until March 2019. Other voters were unable to vote due to the last-minute closure of more than 1,000 polling stations in the capital, Kinshasa, problems with electronic voting machines and voter lists, and the late opening of many polling stations across the country. Disabled, elderly or illiterate people faced particular difficulties in the polling stations or to use the voting machines that were set up for the first time in DR Congo. Observers have also been denied access to many polling stations and counting centers.

Instead of a free and fair election, Congolese people appear to have participated in a fait accompli, unfortunately endorsed by world democracy leaders. The election was marred by irregularities, and voting data from the election commission database, leaked to the Financial Times and other outlets, showed that another candidate, Martin Fayulu, won around 60 percent of the vote…

While the situation in the Congo remains fluid after an election that most independent observers, including the Roman Catholic Church, consider to be illegitimate, one thing does seem certain: In the absence of intense international pressure or a determined domestic uprising, the Kabila government seems likely to continue running the country in everything but name (New York Times).

Joseph Kabila left without going!

The DR Congo is in difficult situation. There lack of trust between leaders and the people because of the way the “election” was rigged. We have in the country an illegitimate and illegal government. I thought sending a word of warning to the world about the consequences of the current political situation would go a long way to saving lives. This book suggests that a transitional government without Joseph Kabila is still needed in the DR Congo to restore confidence between the people and leaders and prepare a new election, hence prevent many more millions of deaths, displaced people and refugees.

Justin Mudekereza

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