South Africa will send a 128-member observer mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to monitor that country’s election, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Tuesday.
Pahad said the observer team will be deployed in key areas in all the provinces of the DRC ahead of the election scheduled for July 30.
”The team will consist of people from civic organisations, government officials and people with previous observer experience,” Pahad said.
The DRC’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) also asked South Africa to send 300 technical officials to assist in the run-up to the election.
”We have 168 members of our IEC who are ready for deployment to join others already there,” he said.
The vote on July 30 will be followed by provincial and local elections, bringing to an end a three-year precarious transitional period begun in 2003 after nearly five years of regional war fought on DRC soil.
The United Nations has deployed almost 17 500 peacekeeping troops in the country, including South African troops.
On Monday, the European Union approved the deployment of a 2 000-strong force, spearheaded by Germany and France, to help secure the elections.
Pahad welcome the deployment of the EU troops in support of the UN mission in the DRC.
He said that although the situation in the eastern DRC where fighting is continuing is worrisome, all indications are that the election will go ahead as scheduled.
”Generally we are happy with situation and we think things are on track. Things can always go wrong, but we do not expect that at the moment,” Pahad said. — Sapa