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Congo authorities say false results endanger poll

31 Oct 2006 14:55:16 GMT
Source: Reuters

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Policemen guard a light helicopter of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) peacekeepers which made an emergency landing at Barriere Iga near Bunia October 30, 2006. The two pilots escaped with minor injuries. Picture taken October 30, 2006.
Reuters/JAMES AKENA

Background

• Congo (DR) conflict

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By Barry Moody

KINSHASA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Congolese authorities expressed concern on Tuesday about a stream of false reports on the results of Sunday's historic elections, saying they could spark more violence in this tense central African country.

Western diplomats and the United Nations, which has its largest peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of Congo, have repeatedly warned against a resurgence of violence between supporters of the two presidential candidates -- incumbent Joseph Kabila and former rebel Jean-Pierre Bemba.

The two men's private armies fought three days of street battles in August in Kinshasa that killed more than 30 people and have large, well-armed forces in the city now.

Since Sunday's vote, meant to bring an end to decades of conflict and pillage that have left the mineral-rich country destitute, emails and text messages have circulated giving alleged details of the emerging results. Many come from supporters of the two candidates.

One email was sent around to diplomats, journalists and the United Nations on Oct. 24 purporting to be a detailed table of the results almost a week before the election took place.

Electoral commission chief Apollinaire Malu Malu said on Tuesday the commission was worried by false and premature proclamations of the poll result which could provoke violence.

The "perilous" distribution of false results could "create a climate of useless and dangerous tension which the Congolese people do not need," he said.

Malu Malu said the election would be rerun on Wednesday in the town of Fataki in eastern Congo where a soldier killed two election workers on Sunday, provoking a riot in which polling stations were burned down and up to 25,000 ballots destroyed.

DEATH SENTENCE

The soldier, believed to have been drunk, has been sentenced to death by a military tribunal, U.N. radio said.

The election was being rerun on Tuesday in Bumba, in the north of the country, where two rioters were shot dead by police on Sunday after destroying polling stations.

Malu Malu refused to say when he expected results to be announced despite speculation that they would be ready before the scheduled date of Nov. 19.

He said Congo, which is the size of western Europe, was largely without roads and the process would take time.

Election monitors from South Africa, one of the largest foreign groups watching the poll, said on Tuesday the vote was "democratic, peaceful, credible and transparent," joining a chorus of praise from foreign observers.

European Union Foreign Affairs chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday EU troops should be able to leave Kinshasa as scheduled on Nov. 30 despite warnings by many analysts and diplomats that their departure too soon could jeopardise the peace process.

The EU has about 1,300 troops in Kinshasa, backing U.N. peacekeepers.

Congo is rich in gold, diamonds, copper and cobalt, but greed for its wealth has sparked conflict and brutal exploitation ever since Belgium's King Leopold ran it as a private fiefdom in the 19th century. Late dictator Mobutu Sese Seko looted the country during his 32-year kleptocratic rule.

The election is meant to draw a line under a 1998-2003 war that led to the deaths of 4 million people, mostly from hunger and disease.

In the first round Kabila polled 45 percent against Bemba's 20 percent but analysts believe the final result could be close and that might encourage a violent challenge. (Additional reporting by David Lewis and Alistair Thomson in Kinshasa, and Andrew Hay in Madrid)

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Last updated:Tue Oct 31 14:56:39 2006