Sunday, December 17, 2023

DR Congo election 2023: What you need to know
Ousmane Badiane - BBC Afrique
Sat, December 16, 2023 

Denis Mukwege is one of the 22 presidential candidates

Nearly 40 million Congolese voters go to the polls for the next presidential election on 20 December with President Félix Tshisekedi seeking a second, and final, five-year term in office.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa. Spanning an area the size of Western Europe with an estimated population of more than 100 million people, the country is rich in natural resources.

Despite some calls for the election to be postponed, the head of the electoral commission is confident that everything will be ready in time.
Why does this election matter?

It holds 70% of the world's reserves of coltan, a highly prized mineral used to make mobile phones, plus 30% of the world's diamonds and large quantities of cobalt, copper and bauxite.

Although its vast mineral wealth and huge population represent huge economic assets, life in DR Congo is not improving for most people for a number of reasons, such as conflict, corruption and many decades of poor governance dating back to the colonial era.

Eastern DR Congo, where most of the mineral wealth lies, has been ravaged by conflict for three decades.

It is impossible to know how many lives have been lost - a 2008 study by the International Rescue Committee estimated that about 5.4 million people may have died, mostly from hunger and disease, making it the deadliest since World War Two. However, other studies have cast doubt on the accuracy of this figure.

After years of political instability and coups, DR Congo is organising elections for the first time since the peaceful transfer of power between former President Joseph Kabila and Mr Tshisekedi in 2019.
Who are the candidates?

Following the withdrawal of six candidates, including former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo, there are now 20 presidential candidates, including Mr Tshisekedi.

His main challengers are:

Martin Fayulu, the man believed by many observers to have been the rightful winner of the 2018 presidential election, even though he came second according to official results.


Moïse Katumbi, a wealthy businessman and former governor of Katanga province, as well as the owner of the TP Mazembe football team


Dr Denis Mukwege, the winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with rape survivors.

Four of the candidates who have withdrawn have thrown their support behind Mr Katumbi and his "Together for the Republic" party, while two, Patrice Majondo Mwamba and Joëlle Bile, are now backing President Tshisekedi.

Still in the running are another former Prime Minister, Adolphe Muzito, MP Delly Sesanga, activist Floribert Anzuluni and Constant Mutamba.

President Félix Tshisekedi launched his campaign in Kinshasa's main football stadium

Ms Bile's withdrawal leaves just one female candidate - Marie-Josée Ifoku Mputa, who also ran in the 2018 election.

Running for election is not cheap.

All candidates had to pay 160m Congolese francs to participate ($60,000; £47,000) in non-refundable application fees.

However, this is less than the previous election, when the fee was $100,000.
The voting system

Whichever candidate gains the most votes in the first round becomes the next president, whether or not they have more than 50%. So there is no second round run-off.

Martin Fayulu's supporters believe he was robbed of victory in 2018

The winner is then in post for a five-year term, renewable once only.

Voting takes place 90 days before the expiry of the current president's term.

This year, the presidential election will be combined with the election of members of both national and provincial parliaments and local councillors.
What is at stake?

This year's elections take place against a backdrop of conflict in the east, an economic and social crisis and a lack of trust between the government and opposition.

Opposition parties suspect the government of orchestrating electoral fraud, accusing it of restricting freedoms and democratic space. The government rejects these accusations.

Eastern DR Congo is home to beautiful mountains and lakes, as well as huge mineral wealth. This is the view from the town of Bukavu

The many assurances given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni) have failed to alleviate the opposition's concerns.

The bishops of DR Congo's influential Catholic Church, and the leaders of the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC) recently said they shared the opposition's worries.

There is also a cost-of-living crisis. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are still hitting ordinary Congolese people in the pocket.

Inflation has reduced the purchasing power of ordinary citizens, who now have to pay more for their basic necessities, like food.

The value of the Congolese franc has fallen by 15-20% against the US dollar since the start of the year, according to official figures.

Two-thirds of DR Congo's population now live below the poverty line, earning $2.15 a day or less.

President Tshisekedi has launched a number of initiatives to try to tackle these issues including free primary school education and free healthcare for women giving birth at public medical facilities.

However, opinion remains divided over how effective these measures have been across the country.
Conflict in the east

The government has imposed a state of siege across the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri for almost a year but conflict continues to rage.

Rebel groups such as the M23, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Codeco continue to carry out attacks against both ordinary people and military targets.

Kenyan soldiers were sent to DR Congo last year to help tackle rebel groups but the government has ordered them to leave

As a result of the violence, DR Congo has among the highest number of internally displaced people in the world. Almost 6.9 million people are thought to have been forced to flee their homes since March 2022. The UN estimates that 28% of the population has been forcibly displaced in North Kivu and 39% in Ituri respectively.

Other hotspots have emerged as a result of inter-community conflicts, notably in the province of Tshopo, in the north-east, and in Maï-Ndombe, in the south-west of the country.

Insecurity is likely to disrupt voting in some parts of the country. In November, the electoral commission said it had lost around 30 agents to drowning and attacks by armed groups during the registration of voters.

The Congolese government recently demanded the departure of troops from East African countries by the end of the year, accusing them of failing to stop attacks from armed groups less than a year after their deployment.
Watching the vote

The electoral commission is supposed to be an autonomous, permanent and neutral body governed by public law, and endowed with legal power.

Composed of 15 members, its mission is to "guarantee free and democratic elections".

Moise Katumbi is known as the owner of the massive TP Mazembe football team

However, it has come under fire from critics who accuse its president, Denis Kadima, of being too close to the government. They fear the fact he comes from the same ethnic group as the president could affect the integrity of the result.

For his part, Mr Kadima has repeatedly stated that his institution is committed to transparent elections that respect democratic principles.

The European Union observer mission has pulled out of the election, after failing to reach an agreement with the Congolese government over the importation of communication devices they needed to use. They will be deploying eight experts but only in the capital, Kinshasa.

In the past, the African Union, religious denominations and civil society organisations have deployed observers to closely monitor voting.
When will we get the results?

According to the electoral calendar, the provisional results are expected on 31 December.

If the results are ready before that, they could be released sooner. But in previous elections, Ceni has not announced any partial results - it has waited until all the votes have been counted across this vast country before declaring the winner.

The next president will be sworn into office on 20 January.

Additional reporting by Emery Mukumeno in Kinshasa

Yinka Adegoke
Fri, December 15, 2023 


The Facts

The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to hold its presidential election next week on Dec. 20. Some 44 million registered voters and more than 900 parties are expected to take part in the general election. President Felix Tshisekedi, 60, will be up for reelection for another five years after a controversial victory in 2018 following his on then off pact with former president Joseph Kabila and then later former vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba.
Know More

→ What’s at stake? Tshisekedi’s 2018 victory might have been controversial or tainted but it also marked the first peaceful transfer of power in the country’s history. This huge nation of some 100 million people and immense natural and mineral wealth has had very few years in its 63-year history without conflict or repression, often both. The vast majority of Congolese people are hoping this election will ultimately be peaceful.

→ Who are the leading contenders? The presidential campaign started out with up to 25 contenders, but opposition candidates have been forming alliances to take on the president.

The main opposition candidates are: Moise Katumbi, 58, the mining and transportation magnate, who was a former governor of DRC’s wealthiest province, has seen three former rival candidates drop out to back him so far. Then there’s Martin Fayulu, 66, the former Exxon Mobil executive, who was a close runner-up to Tshisekedi in 2018, and strongly proclaimed he had in fact won. First-timer Denis Mukwege, 68, was the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work as a gynecologist on victims of sexual assault in the war-torn eastern region of the country where his clinic is still based.


L-R Clockwise: President Tshisekedi, Denis Mukwege, Martin Fayulu, Moise Katumbi. Credit: Reuters

→ Aside from candidates, who else should we be paying attention to? All eyes will be on CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission) and its head Denis Kadima. Spokespeople have been keen to say this election will be free, fair, and inclusive for all Congolese. As of November the government had allocated around half a billion dollars to CENI from the national budget to “strengthen the independent organization’s operational and management capacities.”



→ So, is everyone ready to vote? No. There are some 7 million people in the eastern region of the country who have been displaced due to the ongoing deadly conflict and disruption in the area. Many, particularly in the North Kivu province which borders Rwanda, are unlikely to be able to fully participate despite CENI or the government’s best intentions.

“The prevailing security challenges, especially in the eastern provinces, present a major obstacle,” writes Johannesburg-based Institute for Security Studies.

→ What are the president’s people saying? DR Congo’s communications minister Patrick Muyaya told Semafor Africa that security “remains the biggest challenge” for whoever is the next president — which he naturally believes should be “the favorite”, President Tshisekedi, his boss. Muyaya said that in a second term the president would focus on “investing in recruitment, training through cooperation, and strengthening security services” to assuage the security concerns of everyday Congolese.


→ What does Gallup think? Gallup’s polling research shows that personal safety is a key issue for Congolese citizens. “A majority of Congolese feel unsafe walking alone in their area at night. With the exception of one year, this figure has never dropped below the majority level since 2009 (in years Gallup has been able to conduct surveys in the DRC).”

Martin Fayulu: The DR Congo election candidate who refuses to give up

Ousmane Badiane in Dakar & Damian Zane in London - BBC News
Fri, December 15, 2023 

Congolese Presidential candidate Martin Fayulu addresses his supporters during a campaign rally in Goma, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo November 30, 2023.

In certain circles the name Martin Fayulu has become synonymous with tenacity - a refusal to give up.

One of the leading opposition candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo's 20 December presidential election, he maintains that he won the race five years ago.

Emblematic of the 67-year-old's die-hard attitude is his biography on X, which declares him the country's "president-elect".

Campaign posters have him tapping his wristwatch announcing: "Now's the time".

In the aftermath of the 2018 election, Mr Fayulu, a former oil company executive, was not alone in questioning the victory of Félix Tshisekedi - who is running for a second term.

The influential Catholic Church, which had a large monitoring team, said the results did not correspond with its own findings.

Mr Tshisekedi had split off from the opposition coalition that had put forward Mr Fayulu, and it was suspected, though always denied, that he had the backing of then-President Joseph Kabila.

But as Mr Tshisekedi's announced victory promised the first peaceful transfer of power in the country's history, many groups came to accept it.

Mr Fayulu, however, did not.

The leader of the Commitment for Citizenship and Development party (ECiDé) has doggedly stuck to the message that he won. Now he has returned to claim his prize, hoping to succeed in the crowded field of 19 challengers to the incumbent.

Turning his rhetorical fire on the president, he has been uncompromising in his criticism.

"Is there a single Congolese who can tell me that he lives better than in 2018? Mr Tshisekedi has done absolutely nothing," the candidate told the Reuters news agency in November.

Mr Fayulu uses the campaign symbol "21" - the number he was given in the official list of candidates

He first became a full-time politician in 2006 and served as an MP, though at the time he was mostly known as a businessman.

Mr Fayulu's involvement in politics started during the Sovereign National Conference in 1991 that brought together delegates from different regions, political parties, civil society organisations and traditional leaders to campaign for multi-party democracy.

The country's long-time autocratic ruler Mobutu Sese Seko allowed the conference to take place after coming under domestic and foreign pressure to end one-party rule. But he ignored the call for greater democracy, and was eventually forced out in 1997.

Mr Fayulu's transition from business to politics was complete in 2006 when he was elected an MP.

Before that, he had had a two-decade-long career, starting in 1984, with US oil giant Exxon Mobil, taking up positions in several African states.

His final posting was in Ethiopia where he was the company's director general.
More about the DR Congo election:

Félix Tshisekedi: The man who vowed to make Congo the 'Germany of Africa'


Moïse Katumbi: Millionaire mining magnate runs for DR Congo president


Denis Mukwege: The Nobel Prize winner vying for DR Congo presidency


What you need to know about the DR Congo election

In March 2009, Mr Fayulu helped launch ECiDé and was appointed its leader.

Despite his oil background he has claimed he speaks for the people.

"Congolese call me [the] people's soldier," Mr Fayulu told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio programme in 2018.

In 2016 and 2017 he had been involved in protests against the extension of Mr Kabila's time in power.

At one point, a bullet grazed Mr Fayulu's head after police fired at anti-Kabila protesters in the capital, Kinshasa. At least 17 people were killed in the clashes.

Mr Fayulu hopes to capitalise on dissatisfaction with the security and economic situation in the country

In this election he has claimed he is the patriotic candidate.

"You have to entrust the country to someone who is not a thief, to someone who is not corrupt, to someone with proven skills, to someone with leadership, someone who is a patriot," he told Reuters.

He has also talked about boosting security in the east of the country. The conflicts with a multiplicity of rebel groups there have forced some 6.9 million people to flee their homes.

Mr Fayulu has said he wants to have a well trained, well equipped army of 500,000 people.

And - perhaps most importantly if he wants to be sure of victory this time round - he has stressed the importance of vigilance on polling day, in order to prevent any attempt at electoral fraud.

But in a repeat of five years ago, Mr Fayulu is not the only strong opposition candidate challenging those in power. This split in the vote may ultimately cost him the job.

DR Congo election: Why one star refuses to release election songs

Africa team - BBC News
Fri, December 15, 2023 

Rapper Bob Elvis: "No amount of money could influence me to support causes in which I do not believe."

Election time in the Democratic Republic of Congo means a torrent of fresh music from some of the country's hottest artists.

In this nation of music-lovers, politicians have often formed symbiotic relationships with singers - but not everyone is happy to play the game.

In his newest release, Koffi Olomide, one of Africa's most celebrated musicians, sings the praises of incumbent president (and election hopeful) Felix Tshisekedi.

"Fatshi, Fatshi Béton!" Olomide sings, chanting the president's nickname over and over. "We have seen your love for the youth, the people and Congo."

On 5 December, industry veteran Werrason also endorsed Mr Tshisekedi. In his music video, clips of Werrason alternate with footage of the president: waving to adoring crowds, holding a hospitalised baby, addressing packed-out rallies.

"What he's done, we've seen and the people don't want to go back," Werrason sings.

On the other hand, rising star Infrapa urges his hundreds of thousands of Facebook followers to vote for wealthy businessman - and one of Mr Tshisekedi's biggest challengers - Moise Katumbi at Wednesday's polls.

Photos of Infrapa in T-shirts printed with the number three - Mr Katumbi's candidate number - fill the screen as the musician croons: "We are tired of suffering and hunger. Choose Moise Katumbi."

DR Congo - a nation wounded by decades of conflict, corruption and poor governance - has a long history of musicians endorsing politicians in their songs.

Numerous icons have admitted accepting money to mention influential people and corporations - a practice known locally as libanga.

Just last year, "prince of Congolese rumba" Fally Ipupa told Kenya's Trace FM he can make around €10,000 (£8,600; £11,000) per mention, while late legend Papa Wemba said he practised libanga amid a "sick", unprofitable Congolese industry.

Papa Wemba's bleak assessment of the music scene is echoed by his peer, Blaise Bula. He tells the BBC: "It is not easy to earn money because the Congolese music industry is not yet very developed, particularly on the issue of copyright."

Although many Congolese stars have a huge following across the continent and in the large diaspora, rampant piracy and a badly organised touring circuit mean that even popular artists can struggle to make a living.

Bula, a former member of the pioneering Wenge Musica band, released his own pro-Tshisekedi track, Fatshi No. 20, three weeks ago.

He insists he was not paid to make it, but adds: "Because the industry is not well developed, [musicians] must make a living from our profession and as a trader - from the sale of our services."

In Fatshi No. 20, Bula tells Tshisekedi: "One eye can see, but with a second eye, humans see even better. That is why we give you a second term in office so that you can bring life to your vision for DR Congo."


Former Wenge Musica member Blaise Bula has endorsed incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi

Bula tells the BBC he chose to promote Tshisekedi because of the president's achievements over the last five years, such as introducing universal free primary education and free healthcare for women giving birth in public hospitals.

"Much remains to be done," Bula acknowledges - and Tshisekedi's critics would agree.

Heavy fighting between the army and various militia groups has worsened in the east, despite the government imposing a state of siege across part of the region almost a year ago.

According to the UN, the conflict has forced around 6.9 million people from their homes since March 2022 - the highest number of internally displaced people in the world.

Insecurity is just one issue. Congolese have been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine. Two-thirds of the population currently live below the poverty line, earning $2.15 (£1.68) or less per day.

Despite these problems, Mr Tshisekedi has more endorsements from musicians than the other presidential candidates. Some of his supporters even snipe at rival Mr Katumbi.

In his pro-Tshisekedi song, Bula says: "The son of the motherland is the one we will vote for. Beton [is Congolese] through his father and mother."

Likewise, Werrason sings that the president's "father and mother are Congolese".

It's the umpteenth time Mr Katumbi's nationality has come under attack - opponents claim he is not a Congolese national because although he was born to a Congolese mother, his father was Greek.

Despite jabs about his heritage, Mr Katumbi has been endorsed by musicians like Infrapa and Kennedy Tamaris, whose song has been viewed 81,000 times on YouTube.

Another major challenger, Martin Fayulu, appears to have few - if any - musical endorsements, while it seems Nobel Peace Prize winner-turned-candidate Denis Mukwege has only been promoted by singer and influencer Boketshu Wayambo.

That Mr Tshisekedi has the most election songs could indicate that he spent the most on commissioning music.

Or, Congolese sociologist Léon Tsambu tells the BBC, artists may be keen to sing about the president for free as they perceive him as being wealthier than other candidates - wealth the artists may benefit from if he is pleased with the song.

So do music fans mind artists glorifying politicians in their tracks? Are musicians ever accused of "selling out"?

Not in most cases, Mr Tsambu tells the BBC.

"This game has been played for a long time by hook or by crook under [previous presidents] Mobutu and Joseph Kabila, especially at election time," says Mr Tsambu, who specialises in popular music at the University of Kinshasa, adding that political libanga hit its peak during Mr Kabila's 2001-2019 premiership.
More about the DR Congo election:

Moïse Katumbi: Millionaire mining magnate runs for DR Congo president


Félix Tshisekedi: The man who vowed to make Congo the 'Germany of Africa'


Martin Fayulu: The Congolese candidate who refuses to give up


Denis Mukwege: The Nobel Prize winner vying for DR Congo presidency


What you need to know about the DR Congo election

However, outside the country, sections of the Congolese diaspora rail against musicians they view as being too close to the politicians they blame for destroying the country.

They've done so for over a decade - for example, Werrason was physically attacked when touring in Paris in 2011 because he was seen as being pro-Kabila. Ten years later, protesters outside a Fally Ipupa concert sparked a huge fire at the Gare de Lyon train station.

In light of this diaspora opposition, police in London set up an "appropriate local policing plan" for Ipupa's performance at London's 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena earlier this month. There were no reports of disorder or protest, the force told the BBC.

Some protesters aim to prevent all Congolese musicians from performing in Europe, but not all popular artists engage in libanga.

"No amount of money could influence me to support causes in which I do not believe," rapper Bob Elvis tells the BBC.


President Felix Tshisekedi is running for a second term - with the support of numerous Congolese musicians

"Several politicians contacted my team to meet me, but I never gave them my time."

Instead of promoting a presidential candidate in the run-up to Wednesday's election, Elvis released the fiercely critical Yo Jamais Na Vota, which roughly translates to "you, I will not vote for you". In the song, Elvis urges his fans not to vote for politicians who "embezzle taxpayer money".

The rapper, who is currently recording an album in Belgium because "conditions" for doing so in DR Congo are poor, says he is frequently targeted for his anti-establishment music. He says he was kidnapped five years ago and struggles to get airplay on radio or TV.

Elvis says he gets around this by releasing music on social media and selling his CDs "like drugs, from door to door - customers call my team and my team takes care of home delivery".

These restrictions, coupled with DR Congo's unprofitable industry, make earning money challenging for Elvis.

However he says he will never be tempted to practise libanga, adding: "Money is not everything. My life is no more important than the life of the millions of Congolese who are dying of famine in the East."

"The main thing for me is to keep my freedom, to be on the side of the truth.

"Even if I cannot change things, I would like to be the one who influences the person who will change the system."


DR Congo's democracy backsliding ahead of vote, rights groups say

Emmet Livingstone
Sat, December 16, 2023 

An opposition supporter at a rally in Goma last month with a poster of Cherubin Okende, who was gunned down in July (ALEXIS HUGUET)

DR Congo's democracy has been backsliding ahead of elections this month, according to rights defenders, as prominent journalists languish in prison and the murder of an opposition politician remains unsolved.

President Felix Tshisekedi came to power in 2019 after a campaign criticising the rights record of his predecessor Joseph Kabila, among other issues.

But a slew of recent events have sparked concerns about the president's own record.

A former minister turned opposition member was found dead in the central African nation's capital Kinshasa in July.

A few months later, one the best-known Congolese journalists was imprisoned after the authorities accused him of spreading fake news about the murder.

"These are signs of the narrowing of the democratic space," said a rights researcher, who requested anonymity.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is scheduled to hold elections on December 20. Tshisekedi, 60, will be running for a second term.

Human Rights Watch warned Saturday that it had documented clashes and other violence between supporters of rival parties that could undermine the vote.

"Political parties and candidates should publicize their anti-violence stance and help ensure that people have the opportunity to vote for the candidates of their choice," said HRW researcher Thomas Fessy.

Tshisekedi released hundreds of political prisoners when he first took office, but initial optimism began to fade after intimidation of critics started again in 2020.

Opposition members regularly say they are harassed, and point to arrests they claim are politically motivated.

Despite its mineral riches, DRC is one of the poorest nations of the world, and has a history of autocratic rule.

Floribert Anzuluni, a presidential candidate and former rights activist, told AFP that repression often spikes around elections.

"It's the case today, there's a hardening of the democratic space," he said.

- Murder in Kinshasa -

In a high-profile case in May, Congolese military intelligence arrested Salomon Idi Kalonda, a close advisor to opposition presidential contender Moise Katumbi.

Kalonda was accused of colluding with M23 rebels in the country's east, as well as the group's alleged backers, Rwanda. His trial is ongoing.

A month later, the body of Cherubin Okende, a former transport minister and Katumbi ally, was found riddled with bullets in Kinshasa.

The government has condemned the killing and opened an investigation.

But several analysts say the investigation has stalled.

"The justice system seems not to be doing its job," Anzuluni said.

In September, the prominent Congolese journalist Stanis Bujakera, who works for Reuters and Jeune Afrique magazine, was arrested on suspicion of spreading false information about Okende's killing.

His arrest followed a Jeune Afrique article -- which was not bylined -- that suggested that Congolese military intelligence had assassinated Okende.

The article was based on a memo that the Congolese authorities have said is fake.

Bujakera remains in prison with the trial ongoing.

Eric Nsenga, who works on human rights for ECC, a federation of Congolese protestant churches, said Bujakera's arrest "sends an image of intimidation".

- 'Fatigue' -

Bujakera's case attracted an outpouring of international criticism. But rights defenders say arrests of lesser-known figures have gone unnoticed.

Human Rights Watch said last week that opposition member Lens Omelonga had been freed after seven months in detention. He had shared a social-media post criticising the foundation of the president's wife Denise Tshisekedi.

Fred Bauma, the executive director of Kinshasa-based think-tank Ebuteli, said repression had long gone under the radar -- especially in the east, where he highlighted cases of protesters detained arbitrarily.

In 2021, Tshisekedi placed two eastern provinces under martial law in a bid to curb militia violence.

But the policy has mostly failed, and has been criticised for facilitating a crackdown on dissent.

The president promised to roll it back after an elite army unit, in late August, massacred over 50 members of a religious sect who were planning a protest in the eastern city of Goma.

The government condemned the massacre, and a military court handed down prison sentences to several officers involved.

But several rights defenders told AFP they were frustrated with the accumulation of such cases, and apparent government impunity.

"They've been able to trick a lot of the international community," said one, accusing the government of saying the right things on the diplomatic stage but rarely following up.

One UN official agreed that there was little international will to confront abuses, saying "There's fatigue when it comes to the DRC".

A government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

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'Foreigner' claims dog DR Congo presidential candidates

Emilie BERAUD
Fri, December 15, 2023 

Some opposition candidates in DR Congo's presidential election face claims online of being 'foreigners', a potentially powerful weapon in a country scarred by conflict with its neighbours and where dual nationality is banned (Alexis HUGUET)

"Fake Congolese" or "candidate of the aggressor country" -- some of the accusations being bandied around on social media in a bid to ruin reputations in the run-up to DR Congo's presidential vote.

Some opposition candidates face claims online of being "foreigners", a potentially powerful weapon in a country scarred by conflict with its neighbours and where dual nationality is banned.

Messages claim that "such and such a candidate is Zambian, such and such a candidate is Greek, such and such a candidate has married a woman of Rwandan origin," lamented Marien Nzikou-Massala, a journalist for the fact-checking website Congo Check.

"During the election period in Kinshasa, disinformation is stronger than information", he added.

It comes as the Democratic Republic of Congo is grappling with a spike in violence in the east with a resurgence of the M23, an armed rebellion allegedly supported by neighbouring Rwanda.

Since the election campaign for the December 20 ballot got under way, online attacks have been aimed primarily at the most credible challengers to President Felix Tshisekedi, who is seeking a second term.

Hundreds of internet users have accused wealthy businessman Moise Katumbi and Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege -- both contenders for the top job -- of being foreigners "who have acquired Congolese nationality" and having Rwanda, Zambia, Burundi or Uganda as their "nation of origin".

- 'Candidate of the West' -

Citing video evidence, Facebook posts have claimed that Katumbi recently met Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

But the footage was filmed in 2018 at a forum organised by an African foundation.

Katumbi also stands accused, depending on what online messages you read, of being Italian, Greek or Zambian.

Such accusations are based in particular on his father's singular migratory history: a Sephardic Jew born in Rhodes, when the Greek island was under Italian rule, before fleeing and settling in southeastern DRC near the Zambian border.

Others claim that Mukwege -- often presented as the "candidate of the West" -- is "100-percent Burundian" and stole his Congolese nationality.

The 2018 Nobel prize laureate studied in Burundi and Europe.

Amplified on social networks, these kinds of unsubstantiated accusations are also made in the press or by other candidates during campaign rallies.

"In the eastern provinces, there is public hostility towards Rwanda and Burundi for their repeated involvement in the wars," said Ithiel Batumike, a researcher at Kinshasa-based political research centre Ebuteli.

"In North Kivu, for example, if you say that a candidate is in collusion with Rwanda, that can affect his popularity rating and cause him to lose a section of his electorate," he said.

- Campaigning 'rarely focuses' on politics -

Tensions have intensified recently, with the head of the UN mission in the vast central African country voicing concern on Monday about the escalating risk of "direct military confrontation" between DRC and Rwanda.

"The nationalities we stick on our opponents are those of the countries that are attacking us," said political scientist Jean-Luc Kong Mbambu.

"We know that this has always been a strategy used by politicians to weaken their rivals."

He added: "The Congolese electoral debate rarely focuses on the candidates' projects. It often focuses on their origins."

There is a reason for that -- sole Congolese nationality is enshrined in the constitution.

"It cannot be held concurrently with any other," Kong Mbambu said.

The rule dates to the 2003 "inter-Congolese dialogue", which "led to the reunification of the country after nearly a decade of war", according to researcher Batumike.

"It was decided not to enshrine dual nationality for fear of infiltration of the Congolese army by foreign countries," he said.

Holding dual nationality in DRC is therefore against the law.

Presidential candidate Noel Tshiani tried to invalidate Katumbi's candidacy, arguing he had Italian nationality, but the Constitutional Court rejected the request.

- 'Congolity' -

Tshiani has championed a "father and mother" concept, initiating a controversial bill on "Congolity" aimed at accepting into high office only Congolese born of two Congolese parents.

That requirement would rule out Katumbi in particular.

Rumours about the nationality and origins of candidates in the run-up to the election "are dangerous for national unity and undermine the cohesion of the country", warns Batumike.

"Most of the candidates who have been accused come from the east. There is an east-west divide," agreed Christian Cirhigiri, who has been scouring social networks on behalf of the Search for Common Ground NGO.

He fears an "identity divide" among the Congolese.

"These messages are dangerous: it's a separatist spirit that will take root in people and turn into xenophobia," warned political scientist, Kong Mbambu.

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