Félix Tshisekedi announces a “gradual easing” of the state of siege in eastern DR Congo

2023-10-13 02:05:58

“The state of siege” in North Kivu and Ituri established in May 2021 will experience “progressive and gradual relief”, announced Thursday the President of DR Congo Félix Tshisekedi. This relief means “the lifting of constitutional restrictions” on citizens, in particular “the free movement of people and their goods by ending the curfew”, the freedom of “peaceful demonstration and assembly”, he added .

Published on : 13/10/2023 – 04:05

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The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Félix Tshisekedi, announced Thursday October 12 “a progressive and gradual easing” of the “state of siege” established in May 2021 in two provinces in the east of the country in prey to violence by armed groups.

This exceptional measure, taken for North Kivu and Ituri, restricted public freedoms and replaced the civil administration with military and police officials, without succeeding in bringing peace.

Two years and four months following its establishment, “I opted (…) for the implementation of a gradual transitional system at the end of which this exceptional situation must come to an end”, declared the president in a “message to the nation” broadcast by official television at 11 p.m. Kinshasa time (10 p.m. GMT), midnight in the east of the country.

This transitional device “will consist of the reestablishment of civil authority in the decentralized and deconcentrated territorial entities which are already secure and under the control of the Armed Forces of the DR Congo”, he said. This implies “the lifting of constitutional restrictions” on citizens, in particular “the free movement of people and their goods by ending the curfew”, the freedom of “peaceful demonstration and assembly”, he added. “This is all the more important,” continued the president, “as the various actors involved in the electoral process have the right to participate fully and without hindrance.”

Elections on December 20

This “progressive and gradual” easing of the state of siege comes just over two months before the presidential, legislative, provincial and local elections scheduled for December 20. Félix Tshisekedi is a candidate for re-election.

The head of state’s announcement also comes as swaths of territory in North Kivu have been occupied since last year by the M23 rebellion. After six months of precarious calm, fighting resumed at the beginning of October once morest the rebels, causing new deaths and population displacements.

In his message, Félix Tshisekedi, however, notes an “improvement in the security situation in certain areas of the two provinces concerned”.

Eastern DR Congo has been plagued by violence from local and foreign armed groups for nearly 30 years, many of which are a legacy of the regional wars of the 1990s and 2000s.

With AFP

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