IUSY notes with sadness the recent brutal attacks on the demonstrators in the Democratic Republic of Congo by security forces which led to the loss of some 7 lives on Sunday 31st December 2017.
This act of brutality is condemned in no uncertain terms and IUSY calls on the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to halt the violent suppression of fundamental rights and freedoms of demonstrators and supporters of opposition parties.
IUSY expresses its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased in mourning the loss of their beloved who decided to devote the last day of the year in pursuit of democracy and peace in DRC.
In recent times, the level of insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been heightened as the government of President Joseph Kabila has intensified its crackdown on protestors who have demanded for the conduct of elections which should have been held in December 2016.
The deplorable height of insecurity that the country has been plunged into can also be attributed to the unjustifiable arrest and detention of opposition members by the state machinery.
Christian Lumuku, a youth activist from the opposition party, UDPS is one of such persons in military confinement who is bearing the brunt of the undemocratically aggressive measures adopted by the government of DRC.
Several dozens of protestors have also been arrested by the security forces of DRC in their quest to demand the departure and end of Kabila’s reign.
These politically-motivated actions rans counter to the principle of democracy and equality of all persons before the law.
It is against this backdrop that IUSY calls for the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to adopt all possible means that would lead to a long-lasting peaceful conduct of elections.
Even though the Election Commission has iterated that an election to replace Kabila would not be possible before April 2019, we are of the firm conviction and believe that it is within the parameters of the powers of the president to ensure that the elections are held within the shortest possible time.
The horrendous and devastating effects of political unrests on the African Continent have affected the sustainable development of the continent and it is time for leaders on the continent to take action to avert these electoral conflicts.