Ensure “objectivity, sincerity”: Catholic Bishop in DR Congo to Election Observers

For four days, the 15 participants from the Lubero and Beni territories, as well as from the towns of Butembo and Beni, are to be trained as long-term observers in election observation techniques; they are, thereafter, expected to pass on the acquired skills to short-term observers.

On November 27, the Cardinal in DRC urged CENCO-ECC election observers to show a sense of responsibility, as the credibility of their observation will determine whether the results are accepted by the winners or the losers. 

“They must know that they are the envoys of the Bishops of CENCO and Pastors of the ECC. In this sense, the credibility of the two Churches that send them also depends on their credibility in objectively observing the elections,” Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo said when commissioning the election observers.

On his part, the Coordinator of the CENCO-ECC Election Observation Mission, Cyrille Ebotoko, urged observers to be vigilant when playing their role, adding that each observer represents his or her Church.

“This responsibility is essential, especially as the observation is taking place in a context where the CENCO-ECC is the victim of a degrading campaign by its detractors,” he said.

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CENCO and the ECC have reportedly set up an electoral observation team of some ten thousand observers, to be deployed throughout the Central African nation.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.