DRC teetering on the brink of collapse as accord breached

THE POLITICAL situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile as a political deal signed on New Year’s Eve appears to be on the brink of collapse.

Jean-Marc Kabund, the secretary-general of the opposition UPDS, said in Kinshasa that President Joseph Kabila wanted to stay in office and wasn’t interested in moving towards elections.

Kabund accused Kabila of deliberately undermining an agreement they signed on December 31 with the Rassemblement, a large opposition coalition in which the UDPS is the leading member, the Voice of America reported.

Violence broke out on the streets of Kinshasa after Kabund called on Congolese to prepare for a massive march on April 10 to protest against the failure of Kabila to implement the December peace accord.

The deal offered a peaceful solution in which a transitional government led by a prime minister from the Rassemblement was supposed to take over and lead the country toward elections late this year. However, despite the intervention of the clergy, talks on implementing the accord have faltered on the issue of how to nominate the next prime minister.

Only last week the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (Cenco) told the Rassemblement, and Kabila’s political alliance, to resolve their differences and sign an implementation agreement before March 27.

But the ultimatum was ignored. On Tuesday afternoon, the bishops met Kabila who said he would try to break the impasse with the presidency later releasing a statement stating that the “impasse must not mean the definitive rupture of the dialogue”. – ANA