L’auteur, Marcel Wetsh’okonda, est avocat et chercheur indépendant basé à Kinshasa.  Les cours constitutionnelles jouent un rôle de plus en plus important dans la régulation des élections dans un nombre croissant des pays africains francophones. Qu’il soit perçu comme positif, comme c’est généralement le cas au Benin, ou plutôt négatif comme au

But the real controversy is not that. The forcing through of the law shows the Congolese government’s determination to hold local elections, currently scheduled for 25 October 2015, before the presidential and national parliamentary elections. This will almost inevitably delay the electoral process, as the local elections are more complicated

It has been over two months since Senator Russ Feingold stepped down as the US Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, and around six months since the US administration has been aware of his resignation. Since he stepped down, the Congolese government cracked down on civil rights organizers in

Les neuf juges de la cour constitutionnelle et les six hauts magistrats oeuvrant au parquet L’auteur, Marcel Wetsh’okonda, est avocat et chercheur indépendant basé à Kinshasa. Le 4 avril 2015, la Cour constitutionnelle a été installée. Régie par la Constitution du 18 février 2006 telle que modifiée et complétée à

FARDC scarecrow (Courtesy Dan McCabe) In the last several weeks, there has been a lot of noise about new insurgencies in the eastern Congo, possibly involving the Rwandan and Ugandan governments. This should provoke consternation: In the past, no local rebellion in the eastern Congo has been able to destabilize

Election commission officials counting ballots in Kinshasa in 2011 (Courtesy: MONUSCO) The United States is not the only country with a 20 month-long election campaign. Kinshasa is already abuzz with rumors, tensions, and street protests linked to the elections. The schedule is as follows: local and provincial elections in October

Jean-Pierre Bemba at the ICC (Courtesy Radio Okapi) Could Jean-Pierre Bemba walk free? What would the consequences be for Congolese politics? The answers to these questions are unpredictable, but could dramatically impact Kabila’s succession battle, which is becoming increasingly tense.

Much of the debate around the recent mandate renewal of the UN peacekeeping mission was centered on military action. News reports focused on the recent debate about a drawdown of UN troops and operations against the FDLR. But, pace Clausewitz, military action should always be part of a broader political strategy.