DRC- Rwanda border closure to affect nearly 40,000 Congolese voters

Nearly 40,000 Congolese voters living in neighbouring Rwanda will not be able to vote on Sunday due to the closure of borders by authorities.

For these Congolese it would have been necessary to cross the border the day before in their hopes to exercise their franchise.

They have ruled out this option saying the insecurity in eastern DRC pushed them to settle in Rwanda.

I think the Congolese government had to be able to review this measure because many Congolese will be excluded from this legislature.

‘‘I have to leave Rwanda with my family, I have to spend the night at a local hotel, where I have to pay for one or two days with other road difficulties, I think the Congolese government had to be able to review this measure because many Congolese will be excluded from this legislature’‘, said Daniel Michombero.  

“I see that there is a very great difficulty, our government does not want us to choose the president or the members of Parliament we want. May he help us by leaving the barriers open because we are all Congolese. For example, I have 6 adult children. In my house there are 8 Voices, I am a Congolese woman, my husband and children too, we have all decided to live in Rwanda because of the insecurity’‘, said Sifa Kabanda.

These 40,000 voters are not the only ones disenfranchised for the December 30 vote.

Over one million voters in Beni and Boutembo in North Kivu, as well as over 60,000 voters in Yumbi in Maindombé province will not have their chance to vote until March 2019.