ZCZC
BFF-48
DRCONGO-VOTE-EU-US-INTERNET
Western powers urge DR Congo to restore Internet
KINSHASA, Jan 1, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Leading western powers on Tuesday called
on the Democratic Republic of Congo to restore internet access, which
operators say was cut on government orders a day earlier following
presidential elections.
They also backed a request by the main Congolese election monitoring
organisations to have access to the centres where the votes are being counted
since Sunday’s polling day.
The joint statement was issued by the European Union, the United States,
Canadian and Swiss heads of mission in Kinshasa.
“We request that the government refrains from blocking means of
communication, in particular access to the internet and the media,” said the
statement.
Internet access was cut on Monday afternoon for an indefinite period on
the orders of the government, internet operator Global told AFP Monday.
The authorities had also cut mobile phone texting, said mobile phone
service Vodacom.
And Radio France Internationale said its broadcasts had been jammed from
Monday evening. The station has carried extensive coverage of the
presidential election in this francophone country.
The count is underway after Sunday’s vote to determine who succeeds Joseph
Kabila as president after his 18 years in power, with the results expected
next Sunday.
But the country’s two main election monitors — the National Episcopal
Electoral Conference of Congo (CENCO) and SYMOCEL, an alliance of citizens’
observer missions — are still trying to get access to the count.
The joint statement by the western missions supporting their request for
access was also backed by some individual EU member states — Belgium,
Britain, France the Netherlands and Sweden.
Once the results at individual voting stations have been posted, they have
to be compiled regionally and sent to the National Independent Electoral
Commission (CENI).
There are three front-runners among the 21 candidates for the presidency.
Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary is Kabila’s favoured candidate; Felix
Tshisekedi, who now leads his late father Etienne’s UDPS party; and another
opposition leader, Martin Fayulu. All three have already claimed the vote is
going their way.
New Years Eve passed off calmly in the capital Kinshasa, where the city’s
night spots were open as normal.
BSS/AFP/RY/1845 hrs