{"id":18620,"date":"2017-01-04T19:14:21","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T19:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jww.org\/?p=18620"},"modified":"2017-01-04T19:14:21","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T19:14:21","slug":"dr-congo-reaches-agreement-end-kabilas-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/dr-congo-reaches-agreement-end-kabilas-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"DR Congo Reaches Agreement to End Kabila’s Rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

A deal has been reached in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for President Joseph Kabila to step down from power, paving the way for the country\u2019s first democratic transfer of power. While the deal is clearly a welcomed alternative to Kabila staying in power indefinitely, and will hopefully avoid further\u00a0bloodshed<\/a>, major challenges still exist for the country.<\/p>\n

The DRC had scheduled presidential elections in November 2016. According to the constitution, President Kabila was not allowed a third term, but the elections didn\u2019t take place, allowing Kabila to maintain power.\u00a0Despite months of protests, pressure from the international community and negotiations within the DRC,\u00a0a deal appeared unlikely to resolve Kabila\u2019s extended term in office. Kabila\u2019s legally mandated term ended on December 19, 2016, but, at the last minute, a power sharing deal was struck to allow him to stay in power\u00a0until elections can be held in 2018. Many in the opposition opposed the deal, however, objecting to an additional two years of rule for Kabila and the fact that the deal did not guarantee that Kabila would not seek a third term.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO) worked diligently to strike a better compromise between Kabila stepping down immediately or remaining in power for another two years. Just before the start of 2017, late on New Year\u2019s Eve, a new deal was struck. The new\u00a0agreement includes assurances that elections will be held at the end of 2017, and, perhaps most important, a commitment from President Kabila that he will not run in the new polls. However, that commitment might be hollow, as President Kabila has not yet signed the agreement himself.\u00a0Officials within the Congolese government say<\/a>\u00a0that administration representatives\u2019 signatures are good enough, but when an individual is attempting to hold onto the highest position in a country, his signature should be on the document.<\/p>\n

Outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon\u00a0welcomed the\u00a0agreement<\/a>\u00a0and urged the signatories to abide by it. The U.S. State Department\u00a0issued a statement<\/a>\u00a0saying, \u201cBy paving the way for peaceful, democratic elections in 2017, this agreement marks an important and historic step for the DRC and the region of Central Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moise Katumbi,\u00a0a major opposition leader and potentially a top contender in the 2017 election, issued a statement<\/a>\u00a0applauding the agreement and stated his intention to run for president in 2017. Although that may be challenging, as Katumbi remains in exile outside the country after being detained, attacked, and\u00a0then sentenced in absentia<\/a>. Katumbi is accused of selling land illegally and of hiring foreign mercenaries; both accusations are believed to be politically motivated to neutralize Katumbi\u2019s growing popularity. Even the judge who sentenced Katumbi has\u00a0come out saying<\/u>\u00a0she was pressured to convict Katumbi. \u201cShe claims the purpose of the trial was cripple Mr. Katumbi\u2019s political future and that she was threatened with losing her job, even imprisonment, if he were not convicted,\u201d according to a BBC news report.<\/a> After sustaining injuries from an attack, Katumbi sought medical treatment outside the country last year and has not been able to return home. Katumbi\u2019s case is supposed to be reviewed by CENCO, opening up the possibility that\u00a0his conviction could be overturned, or at least that he be allowed to stand trial. We will have to keep a watchful eye on the future of Katumbi and his ability to step back into the role of a leading opposition figure.<\/p>\n

Next Steps<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Going forward, the Congolese government\u00a0and international community must immediately begin working on a process for the elections to take place, and an exit strategy for Kabila. During President Barack Obama\u2019s administration, the DRC was made a priority, with a top-level diplomatic position, the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, dedicated to\u00a0issues relating to the DRC and the region. The transfer of power to the Trump administration means a gap in US foreign policy will exist, and the Special Envoy position (a presidential appointment) will likely go unfilled for some months.<\/p>\n

President Trump must prioritize the appointment of a new envoy and he must\u00a0support national and international efforts to ensure elections are held in 2017. Guarantees for Kabila\u2019s security after the elections will need to be in place, and U.S.\u2019s leadership will be crucial in getting Kabila to step down. If Kabila tries to hamstring the election process, lock up or sideline opposition leaders, or violate human rights, President Trump\u2019s administration must be ready and willing to institute new coercive measures against Kabila\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A deal has been reached in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for President Joseph Kabila to step down from power, paving the way for the country\u2019s first democratic transfer of power. While the deal is clearly a welcomed alternative to Kabila staying in power indefinitely, and will hopefully avoid further\u00a0bloodshed, major challenges still…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[176,131,188],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-drc","category-news-features","category-176","category-131","category-188","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18620\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}