Risk Of Violence During DRC General Election Real - MSF

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2018) The risk of violence during the upcoming general elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is real, Philippe Kadima, humanitarian adviser for the Great Lakes Region at humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) said on Friday.

"We don't know if elections take place and tension comes and there will be another chaos. The reality is that the risk of violence is real," Kadima said during a press briefing.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been led by President Joseph Kabila since 2001, who took office after assassination of his father President Laurent-Desire Kabila. In 2006, the United Nations brokered democratic elections in the country, as a result of which Kabila was elected as president for a five-year term. In December 2011, Kabila was re-elected.

The president's second term expired in 2016, however, the authorities had been putting off elections for years, prompting protests against Kabila in the country. The government has been suppressing the rallies with the use of force and blocking access to internet and instant messages across the country.

The United States on Wednesday called on all DRC political actors to ensure that the election campaigns are conducted peacefully and with respect to democratic freedoms and human rights.

The general elections in the country are scheduled for December 23.