Kinshasa, 26 January 2012 – On the second day of his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, met with the leaders of opposition parties in Congo to discuss issues relating to human rights and the on-going electoral process in the country.

Vital Kamerhe, leader of the Union pour la Nation congolaise (UNC), which was ranked third in the last presidential run up, after the Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et le Développement (PPRD) of President Joseph Kabila, and the Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès social (UDPS) of Etienne Tshisekedi, painted a rather gloomy picture of the human rights situation in the DRC. In his opinion, several cases of human rights violations were registered during the electoral process. Regarding the disputes that emerged after the presidential and municipal elections, Mr. Kamerhe recommended dialogue between political leaders in addressing these issues.

Finally, Mr. Ladsous told political leaders that he had noted their grievances and encouraged them to step up dialogue as they seek a solution to the current political crisis.

Penangnini Toure/ MONUSCO