UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Wednesday called on the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to swiftly publish a timetable for elections intended for the African country's first peaceful transfer of power.
"The council expects a speedy publication of the electoral timetable and the implementation of the confidence-building measures," said Francois Delattre, the French ambassador to the United Nations, who serves as president of the Security Council for October.
The 15-member council agreed on a renewed message for the swift and full implementation of the Dec. 31, 2016 agreement, which is essential to a credible electoral process and to the peace and stability of the DRC, Delattre told reporters after closed-door Security Council consultations.
The agreement allowed DRC President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, to stay on after his term of office expired, on the condition that elections would be held within 2017. But now it seems that elections are unlikely to be held this year.
Delattre said the Security Council also showed interest in a thorough strategic review of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, which is known by its French acronym of Monusco, particularly with regard to the protection of civilians and support for the electoral process in the DRC.
British ambassador to the United Nations Matthew Rycroft also expressed concern over the delays in the electoral process. "We are very much concerned about any further delay beyond this year. We are already into overtime. This is already an additional year for President Kabila beyond the end of his constitutionally mandated terms," he told reporters before Security Council discussions.
Maman Sidikou, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for the DRC, saw the re-emergence of a climate of political uncertainty and tensions in the DRC as a result of the challenges related to the implementation of the Dec. 31 agreement.
Briefing the Security Council at an open meeting prior to closed-door consultations, Sidikou said the security situation deteriorated in several provinces, impacting the life of civilians and the food security in the country.
