Kinshasa, 02 February 2017 - With sadness and dismay Maman Sambo Sidikou, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of MONUSCO, learned about the death of Mr. Etienne Tshisekedi, president of the Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (UDPS) and Chairman of the Committee of Wise Men of the Rassemblement des Forces Acquises au Changement, whose death occurred yesterday 1st February 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.  

“On this sad and painful occasion, I express, on my own behalf and that of the United Nations system in the DRC, my deep and sincere condolences to the family of the deceased, the government of the DRC, and the Congolese population as a whole, and I salute his important contribution to the promotion of democracy in the DRC,” Maman S. Sidikou stated.

With DRC having come to a crucial political juncture, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General invites all political actors to honour Mr. Tshisekedi’s memory by resolutely engaging in the full implementation of the political agreement signed on 31st December, under the mediation of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO). He also appeals to calm and restraint on the part of all political actors for them to continue negotiations and pave the way towards credible, transparent and peaceful elections.

Note to the editors: 
The president of the UDPS died at age 84 on 1st February 2017 in Brussels. He had been designated to lead the « conseil national de suivi de l’accord politique » (oversight committee for the implementation of the political agreement) (CNSA), signed on 31st December 2016 between signatories to the 18 October 2016 agreement and opposition parties that did not participate in the latter agreement.