UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that the reported killing of protesters by security forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was deplorable.
Ban, in a statement issued by his Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric in New York, challenged political leaders in DRC to put the interest of the country first.
“The scribe deplored the reported loss of life in confrontations between the security forces and protesters, including in Kinshasa.
“He stresses the need for the national security forces to exercise the utmost restraint in the maintenance of public order.
“He calls on the Democratic Republic of the Congo authorities to investigate any acts of violence and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable,” the statement read.
He furthers called on all political actors, including the opposition, to exercise maximum restraint in their actions and statements and urge their supporters to refrain from violence.
“He urges the authorities, once again, to promote and protect human rights and to uphold the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
“The secretary-general said he is closely monitoring developments in the DRC, as the mediation led by the Conférence Épiscopale Nationale des églises du Congo (CENCO) resumed on Wednesday.:
He urged all parties involved in the CENCO-led mediation to work constructively and in good faith the outstanding issues related to transitional arrangements leading to the elections, in keeping with the Congolese Constitution.
The UN chief called on Congolese political leaders to place the interests of the country and the people above partisan and personal considerations.
He urged the politicians to de-escalate tensions and create an environment conducive to the successful completion of the CENCO-facilitated dialogue and the holding of timely, credible and transparent elections.
The secretary-general encouraged the new DRC Government led by Prime Minister Samy Badibanga to take concrete steps, in line with the Oct. 18 political agreement.
