

RDC: Concerne: Appel au peuple de Walikale a ne pas faire foi ou cede aux chantages des organisations dites “de la societe civile de Walikale” sur la question des artisanaux dans le site minier de Bisie (11.11.2016)







Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Journalist in Danger (JED), its partner organization in Democratic Republic of Congo, condemn the jamming of the country’s two most popular radio stations during the past weekend, at a time of extreme political and social tension. The jamming of Radio France Internationale (a French station) and Radio Okapi (a station operated by the United Nations mission in the DRC) began on Friday without any warning or explanation.
When asked about the jamming, information minister Lambert Mendé accused Radio France Internationale of acting as “echo chamber and press attaché” of the organizers of an opposition meeting. When pressed about Radio Okapi, he referred the questioner to the foreign ministry on the grounds that it is a UN station.
“The jamming of the signals of the two radio stations with the most listeners in the DRC is extremely worrying, while government minister Lambert Mendé’s statements show that the authorities do not deny responsibility,” said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF’s Africa desk.
“In the currently fragile political context, this type of censorship could have a profound impact on public order as well as violating the Congolese public’s rights. We ask the country’s authorities to restore the signals of these two radio stations without delay and to stop violating freedom of information.”
The jamming began on the eve of a meeting that had been scheduled by the main opposition parties in Kinshasa although the Kinshasa provincial government has banned all demonstrations ever since those held on 19 and 20 September, which the police dispersed with a great deal of violence.
The police prevented Saturday’s demonstration by moving into the area where it was to have been held and occupying it for the entire day, and by using teargas to disperse groups as they began to gather in other parts of the city.
Ever since the electoral process stalled and mutated into a trial of strength between government and opposition, media outlets that serve as opposition mouthpieces or interview opposition politicians have been exposed to the possibility of closure or reprisals of other kinds.
At least ten media outlets have been closed arbitrarily in the past 24 months. After being closed for a year, two – Vital Kamhere’s Canal Futur Télévision (CFTV) and Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Canal Kin Télévision (CKTV) – reopened in August as a result of political dialogue boycotted by the opposition coalition known as the Rassemblement.
The DRC is ranked 152nd out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2016 World Press Freedom Index.


An improvised explosive device explosion in Kyeshero, in Goma, North Kivu, resulted in the death of one Congolese girl and the injury of two Congolese civilians as well as 32 peacekeepers, including five who were seriously wounded.
NEW YORK, United States of America, November 9, 2016 – The Secretary-General condemns today’s attack against peacekeepers of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
An improvised explosive device explosion in Kyeshero, in Goma, North Kivu, resulted in the death of one Congolese girl and the injury of two Congolese civilians as well as 32 peacekeepers, including five who were seriously wounded.
The Secretary-General extends his sincere condolences to the family of the civilian killed and the Congolese people and wishes a speedy and full recovery to the injured peacekeepers and civilians. He calls for swift action to bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice.








The ban was imposed in September after a series of large demonstrations that were brutally supressed by security forces, reportedly leaving dozens of people dead and injured.
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 3, 2016 – A group of United Nations human rights experts* has called on authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to lift an “unjustified” ban on protests in the capital, Kinshasa, amid social discontent over delayed presidential elections.
The ban was imposed in September after a series of large demonstrations that were brutally supressed by security forces, reportedly leaving dozens of people dead and injured.
“The rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are fundamental rights guaranteed by international law. These rights can only be restricted in very specific and narrowly defined circumstances,” the experts said.
“It is clear that the current situation in the DRC does not justify a general ban on demonstrations in several cities,” they noted. “In fact, given that the country is in a hotly disputed election period, people should be given more space, not less, to express their democratic freedoms.”
Since the ban on protests in Kinshasa took effect on 22 September, at least four demonstrations have been cancelled.
The UN experts have also raised fears over the National Dialogue agreement which took effect in October, postponing presidential elections beyond the constitutional deadline.
The agreement could be used to justify new and unacceptable restrictions on the legitimate activities of civil society organizations, violating their right to freedom of association, the experts warned.
“The protest ban and the restrictive tone of the National Dialogue agreement are both disturbing signs that democratic space is rapidly dissipating in the DRC, with human rights organizations and opposition parties bearing the brunt of the repression,” the independent experts said.
“In view of forthcoming demonstrations, in particular those planned for 5 November, we urge the Congolese authorities to revoke its decision to ban demonstrations,” they stated.
“The DRC is obligated to facilitate assembly and association rights and to protect people who exercise these rights,” the experts noted. “It is of the utmost importance that the country allows the development of an inclusive and participatory civil society sector at this critical juncture in the development of its democracy.”
The ban is the fourth of its kind in the DRC since 2015. Two remain in force, affecting Kalemie in Tanganyika province and Lubumbashi in Haut Katang.
The crackdown on protests in Kinshasa in September prompted an earlier statement from the experts, who condemned the authorities’ repeated use of “excessive force”, which included firing tear gas and live ammunition into crowds of protesters (check the September 2016 statement: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20573&LangID=E).
(*) The experts: Mr Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Mr. David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and Mr. Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.