Photo MONUSCO/Paul-Richard Malengela

Mbandaka, 10 November 2011 – A delegation of the National Committee for Election Security was in Mbandaka, Equateur province, this week to potential security threats associated with the on-going national electoral process.

The delegation was led by the interim Commissioner General of the Congolese National Police (PNC), General Charles Bisengimana, and included representatives from the country's Armed Forces (FARDC) and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

According to the police chief, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) initiated this mission to look into pre-electoral security problems in Equateur and explore ways to resolve them. He expressed satisfaction at the relative peace and tranquility that the province currently enjoys compared to other parts of the country

"Equateur has witnessed no incidents serious enough to jeopardize the upcoming elections, » Charles Bisengimana said. This notwithstanding, he warns that potential threats to the electoral process needed to be identified and minimized if the elections were to be held in a peaceful atmosphere.

Mr. Bisengimana assured his audience of police reinforcement to Equateur from Kinshasa and that this will be done with MONUSCO's logistical support.

During his meeting with the delegation, MONUSCO's head of office in Mbandaka, Abdellahi Ould Mohamed Elhacen, expressed hope for improved security conditions for the forthcoming elections.