Two weeks after long-delayed elections were finally held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – the country with the largest Catholic population in Africa – Church leaders are questioning the declared results and appealing for help from the international community.
In a video briefing at the United Nations last weekend, Archbishop Marcel Utembi of Kisangani, the bishops’ conference president, called for the full election data to be published. “This would enable the candidates to compare their count with the electoral commission’s,” he said, “as well as dispelling doubts among the population as to the outcome. If there are now challenges, our Church requests that the Security Council press key parties to prioritise the path of truth and peace.”
