Worn-torn Congo set for election meant to bring peace
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KINSHASA, Congo -- The old man still recalls his nation's first election in 1960. After casting his vote, he partied in the streets with millions of others in a post-independence euphoria.
Forty-six years later, decades filled with dictatorship and war, this Central African country returns to the polls today for what is only the third free election in its history. This time, retired taxi driver Francois Mpaku Nsabu, 73, sees no reason to celebrate. Fearful the election will spur violence, he's unsure he'll even vote.
"I don't trust the process," Mr. Nsabu said, sitting outside his cinderblock shed in a filthy Kinshasa slum. "What do we have to be happy about nowadays? I'm afraid this will only make things worse."
The historic poll in Democratic Republic of Congo, which was formerly known as Zaire, places the huge country in the middle of the continent at the start of a new chapter in its long, troubled history. World leaders are betting elections will usher in democracy. Others worry the vote could throw the nation back into civil war.
Tensions ran high in the weeks leading up to the vote. Clashes involving police and militias controlled by leading presidential candidates killed at least a dozen people. A journalist was shot to death and two candidates for Parliament narrowly escaped assassination. At political rallies in the capital, candidates deployed rocket launchers to protect themselves. Angry mobs at one event burned down a church and killed two policemen.
International election organizers, who have spent $400 million on the vote, have had to overcome enormous logistical challenges in a country the size of Western Europe that has only 300 miles of paved roads. Still, they predicted the vote would meet international standards.
"All the pieces are more or less in place," said William Lacy Swing, the U.N. special representative to Congo. Mr. Swing dismissed "doomsday scenarios," insisting that Congolese are tired of war and eager to proceed with the vote.
Even amid increased anxiety, election fever was apparent, in the countryside and on the streets of the capital. Campaign posters for the 33 presidential and 9,700 parliamentary candidates plastered nearly every tree trunk, utility pole and fence in Kinshasa. Tens of thousands swarmed to final rallies.
Ramifications will spread far beyond Congo's borders. History has shown that when Congo is in turmoil, so are its neighbors. A 1996 revolution to overthrow strongman Mobutu Sese Seko, a one-time U.S. ally, turned into what was called Africa's First World War, drawing in 11 African nations and killing 4 million people, mostly from disease and hunger.
"The election is important for the entire continent," says Caty Clement, the Central Africa project director for International Crisis Group, a conflict-resolution analyst. "If you can stabilize this country, you can stabilize a lot of Africa."
The elections are to replace what most people believe has been a weak, ineffective transitional government. Parts of the country remain largely under the control of rebel leaders. The northeastern region is terrorized by armed groups despite efforts of the world's largest U.N. peacekeeping force, totaling nearly 17,000 troops.
Aid groups estimate more than 1,000 people die daily due to Congo's instability and conflict. More than 80 percent of the people survive on less than 30 cents a day.
At same time, Congo boasts natural riches including gold, diamonds, copper and coltan, a mineral used in cellphones. There are vast jungles, and the 2,900-mile Congo River could provide enough hydroelectricity to power the continent.
A recent report by environmental advocate Global Witness found that the transitional government has done little to halt the plunder. It says politicians, including some close to the country's president, Joseph Kabila, have used proceeds from the mines to fund their campaigns.
Some political leaders and analysts in Congo say such conditions are evidence that the nation is not ready for elections.
Most worrisome to many is the transitional government's failure to disarm private militias and replace them with a strong, integrated national military. Mr. Kabila, for instance, has 15,000 well-trained troops under his personal control. Two vice presidents also vying for the presidency have their own forces.
Even before the polls open, there have been complaints about plots to stuff ballot boxes and buy votes. Rather than bolster confidence, the heavy international involvement has rekindled anti-Western sentiments among Congolese who believe foreigners are conspiring to install a weak government in order to continue plundering their natural resources.
First Published July 30, 2006 12:00 am
