The European Union (EU) has canceled its election observation mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) scheduled for next month due to unforeseen technical difficulties.
This announcement follows the EU’s previous statement regarding the team’s inability to deploy across the vast nation due to security concerns.
The DRC, a country with approximately 100 million inhabitants, faces ongoing unrest, with dozens of armed groups operating in its eastern regions, where UN peacekeepers and East African Community troops are stationed.
Campaigning for the parliamentary and presidential elections on December 20 commenced ten days ago.
EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali stated, “Due to technical constraints beyond the EU’s control, we are compelled to cancel the electoral observer mission.”
Upon being questioned by AFP, she confirmed that essential telecommunications equipment could not be made available to the team.
Massrali emphasized in the statement that the EU encourages authorities and all stakeholders to continue their efforts to ensure the Congolese people’s full exercise of their political and civil rights during the upcoming elections.
She further added that the EU was exploring alternative options with Congolese officials, including the potential for maintaining a team of electoral experts in the capital, Kinshasa, to observe the voting process.
On December 6, Josep Borrell, the EU’s top foreign policy official, announced the EU’s first electoral observer mission to the country in over a decade.
He remarked, “The next months will be critical for democratic consolidation in the DRC and bilateral DRC-EU cooperation.”
The EU’s cancellation of its election observation mission raises concerns about the credibility and transparency of the upcoming elections in the DRC.
The international community must continue to closely monitor the situation in the DRC and support efforts to ensure a peaceful and democratic transition of power.