Church Leaders in DR Congo “strongly condemn” Violence Following General Elections

They added, “We encourage all stakeholders to resort to peaceful means for all kinds of demands.”

“We ask the Attorney General of the Republic, in his capacity as guarantor of public action, to initiate legal proceedings against all perpetrators of acts of electoral violation and fraud,” CENCO-ECC members said in their statement.

They urged CENI to “honor its commitment to the nation to publish the provisional results in accordance with Article 71 of the Electoral Law, in particular, polling station by polling station.”

The final results are expected on January 10, and the president is scheduled to be sworn in on January 20.

In their two-page statement, Church leaders in DR Congo deplored the fact that the “electoral process has seen several cases of violation of the legal framework of the electoral administration.”

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They called on CENI to “shed light on all the cases documented by the various stakeholders”, adding that “an independent and joint commission of enquiry is needed.”

“The acceptance of the results at each level of the polls also depends on this clarification,” CENCO-ECC members said.

They asked the Public Prosecutor at the Constitutional Court to “take up on his own initiative any denunciation relating to irregularities in order to bring the high jurisdiction of electoral sincerity to rule on the law and restore the pride of our Republic.”

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.