The United States of America, in line with its threat to punish individuals and political agents who undermined electoral processes in selected African countries, has announced its decision to deny visas to certain officials who have been accused of interfering with the December 30 election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Making this announcement on Friday, Washington stated that its intention with this ban, is to send a clear signal to countries that accountability is of the utmost importance.
The United States, however, maintained that it still intends to work with the newly elected president, Felix Tshisekedi.
The list released by the State Department includes Corneille Nangaa, the President of the country’s Election Commission, the Constitutional Court president, Benoit Lwamba Bindu, and Aubin Minaku Ndjalandjoko, the President of the National Assembly.
The United States announced that it would reject any visa request from five senior Congolese figures as well as their immediate family members over “involvement in significant corruption relating to the election process.
“These individuals enriched themselves through corruption, or directed or oversaw violence against people exercising their rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” the State Department said in a statement.
“They operated with impunity at the expense of the Congolese people and showed a blatant disregard for democratic principles and human rights,” it said.
The press statement also disclosed that it will be imposing visa restrictions on a specified number of other military and government officials over several acts of human right violations related to the 2018 polls.
Fayulu Maintains Allegation of Election Malpractice: While the nation’s electoral body had announced Felix Tshisekedi as the winner of the December polls, several members of the international community, local observers and opposition candidates have questioned the result.
Tshisekedi’s main contender and assumed frontrunner in the election, Martin Fayulu, accused the Electoral body of fraud, and Tshisekedi of colluding with former President Joseph Kabila, to take the presidential seat.
Since the election, Fayulu has maintained his position on the result declaration, accusing Nangaa, the election chief, of going against the law to help manipulate the election result.
Despite these allegations, the transfer of power from Kabila to Tshisekedi, was the most peaceful transition the country had witnessed since independence.
