Disorder in Kinshasa Sparks Fears

With the exception of one deadly altercation in August, there were relatively few instances of violence following July 30 elections that failed to produce a majority winner in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But tension in Kinshasa has been high recently as people await the official result of the October 29 run-off vote. On November 21, a protest outside the Supreme Court in the capital led by supporters of the underdog, Jean-Pierre Bemba, turned into a scene of chaos when shots were fired as protesters rioted, looted and then set the courthouse ablaze.

According to the Independent Electoral Commission, Bemba, one of the DRC's richest men, received 42 per cent of the vote compared to incumbent President Joseph Kabila's 58. Before the run-off vote, Bemba claimed he would not contest the outcome but has now changed his position. Although the Supreme Court has until November 30 to issue official election results, Bemba filed a formal challenge to the provisional tallies on November 18, alleging "systematic cheating." The court has until November 26 to rule on his appeal but matters have been complicated by Bemba's lawyers who question the authority of the five judges presiding on the matter.

Bemba has approximately 1,000 loyal soldiers who have not been afraid to clash with Kabila's presidential guard, numbering approximately 15,000. But on November 22, the president issued an ultimatum for Bemba's forces to be taken from the city. Kabila gave the UN peace force, MONUC, 48 hours to remove Bemba's guards from the capital or the army would do it. According to Reuters, a Congolese security source has confirmed that the Congolese army has already transferred 49 of Bemba's soldiers out of the city.

Although some of Bemba's forces have been relocated, it is unclear how diligently the ultimatum will be enforced and it also seems unlikely that all of Bemba's militia will be eliminated. MONUC has been asked to disarm Bemba's men but the organization has said that it does not have a clear mandate regarding this issue, responding that this must be the mission of Congolese authorities to do this. Meanwhile, many residents have remained indoors, fearful that more violence could erupt.

The incident outside of the Supreme Court has rekindled fears that Bemba and his supporters may not peacefully accept the results of run-off election. The recent disorder in Kinshasa only emphasizes the necessity for 17,500 UN peacekeepers in the DRC, who still needed to be reinforced by EU forces during October's final round of voting. Any further conflict after the election's final results are announced would be a serious threat to democracy in a country still attempting to recover from a war that lasted from 1998 to 2003, claiming approximately 4 million lives.

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