NGOs Call for Urgent Action in Congo

On February 9–10, 2012, the International Contact Group on the Great Lakes Region met at the Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Ahead of the meeting, the Open Society Foundations joined other leading European and American experts and advocates on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a joint letter to EU and U.S. representatives of the Contact Group. The DRC is currently facing a major post-election crisis which has weakened the legitimacy of its institutions and let down millions of voters.

The current situation threatens Congo’s fragile democracy while several fundamental rights—such as freedom of assembly and expression, free movement of goods and people, and freedom to information—are being violated. Urgent steps are necessary to restore confidence in the electoral management bodies and complete the electoral cycle with provincial and local elections, ensure accountability for past abuses, encourage inter-Congolese political dialogue and revise relations with international partners.