DRC vote: Regional blocs SADC, ICGLR to meet in Brazzaville

Two regional blocs in the southern and central African region have scheduled a meeting around the Democratic Republic of Congo’s upcoming elections.

Leadership of the Southern Africa Development Commission, SADC, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, ICGLR are set to meet on Wednesday in Congo Brazzaville.

DRC, a country with nine neighbours belongs to both bodies. The December 26 meeting is expected discuss the situation in the DRC as part of “collective and joint efforts aimed at promoting peaceful elections and stability in the DRC,” a statement from the Namibia presidency noted.

Namibian president and SADC head, Hage Geingob is set to attend the meeting as well as host, Congo Brazzaville’s Denis Sassou Nguesso who doubles as president of the ICGLR.

The two bodies have continually stressed the need for the DRC to conduct a standard process that will lead to peaceful power transfer.

President Geingob “reminded that the DRC was vital for development in the sub-region, and that problems don’t have borders, and challenges in one country will affect neighbouring countries.”

The elections body, CENI, announced a postponement of the December 23 polls extending the date by a week. the new date is December 30, 2018. The opposition were slit on CENI’s move.

The main reason cited by the body was a blaze that destroyed majority of election materials at a warehouse in the capital, Kinshasa. Tensions have been high in the country during the campaigns as security forces routinely clashed with especially opposition supporters.