Walls plastered with campaign posters from Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) historic elections are newly peppered with bullet holes. Tank fire has smashed buildings just down the bloodstained streets from voting centres in the war-battered capital.
Balloting was meant to bring a final closure to the Central African nation’s 1996 to 2002 conflict, but fighting between the two candidates’ army supporters is raising concerns that old wounds are being aggravated. In the wake of the capital’s worst violence in years, some Congolese wonder if the forces unleashed by a democratic power struggle can be channelled peacefully.
”I am worried about the future of our country,” said Jose Munoki (53), a government worker. ”The fighting shows our politicians only want democracy as long as they retain power.”
President Joseph Kabila will face ex-rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, a vice-president in Kabila’s national-unity government, in an October 29 run-off vote.
While the July 30 vote went peacefully, the announcement of first-round results on Sunday sparked fighting between Kabila’s army loyalists and those supporting Bemba. Kabila had by far the largest vote, with about 45% of ballots cast, but he needed to get over 50% to avoid the run-off. Bemba had 20%.
While Kabila’s and Bemba’s camps trade accusations about who started the fighting, the battle raged for three days in Kinshasa, sending war-wary citizens behind closed doors and emptying streets and stores of taxis and shoppers.
Last Monday, Kabila’s fighters attacked Bemba’s home as the candidate met inside with top international diplomats. Members of the United Nations’ 17 500-strong peacekeeping force and those from a supplementary 1 000-troop European Union rapid-reaction force evacuated the diplomats, including the head of the UN mission, William Swing.
Kabila’s loyalists — members of his red beret-wearing special presidential guards — used tanks and heavy machine guns against Bemba’s army supporters, who battled back with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. The fighters only returned to barracks after the UN brokered a ceasefire and Kabila and Bemba issued orders to stop fighting.
In the end, 31 people were killed, including many civilians, and 44-year old Bemba was under protection by the UN. It was the worst violence to hit Kinshasa since the end to the war was negotiated in 2002.
Kabila (35) had gained much popular support for having negotiated the peace deals four years ago and bringing his foes into a power-sharing government that is arranging the elections, with help from the UN and other international partners.
But many Congolese say the roots of the latest battle lie in the peace deals themselves.
Under the accords, Kabila, Bemba and others were allowed to keep hundreds of loyalists as their personal guards. While the soldiers are officially part of the military, they remain loyal to their war-time leaders and are ardent enemies, even as their bosses campaign for electoral support.
Some observers fear the rival units will fight again — and the next time the battle may enflame a civilian population unaccustomed to channelling their anger into a democratic process. Congo’s last multiparty election was in 1961, a year after independence from Belgium.
”There is certainly the possibility of a flare-up during the second round, and those who want to avoid that have a lot of work ahead of them,” said Herbert Brown, head of DRC’s branch of the National Democratic Institute, a United States-based organisation aiding the Central African country’s transition to democracy.
”I think the people are ready for democracy, but some individuals are not. We were very surprised — we thought the two sides were preparing to campaign for a second round, not engage each other with arms,” he said.
Both camps are still talking tough, despite overseas pressure to keep the peace and not undermine the vote, which is costing the international community nearly a half-billion dollars.
”We will not allow ourselves to be killed, that’s for sure. If they attack us again, we will retaliate,” said Mbonzi Wa Mbonzi, a Bemba spokesperson.
”Our troops deployed to protect the security of our president, and they will do so again if necessary,” said Kudura Kasongo, a spokesperson for Kabila.
To many among the DRC’s 58-million people, that sounds ominous. The country’s civilian population is still suffering from violent post-war ripples. The eastern borderlands remain outside government control, with marauding bands of militia fighters raping, killing and looting.
The UN says the humanitarian crisis there is among the world’s worst. After years of wars and corrupt, dictatorial rule, many Congolese wonder if a vote is worth the risk of a return to all-out fighting.
”I voted for Bemba in the first round, but now I think neither of them is fit to rule our country,” said George Mushi (46), a security guard in Kinshasa. ”Our country is not ready for democracy. Even our leaders don’t seem to understand democracy.” — Sapa-AP