A/HRC/45/50
17.
There have also been peaceful political marches by protest movements in the region.
For example, on 7 and 9 July 2020, public demonstrations were organized by the Lutte pour
le changement and Filimbi citizens’ movements and the Union pour la démocratie et le
progrès social political party in Kananga (Kasai Central Province), Tshikapa (Kasai
Province) and Mbuji-Mayi (Kasai Oriental Province) to protest against the “confirmation”
of the candidate proposed by the National Assembly on 2 July 2020 as chair of the
Independent National Electoral Commission. The demonstrators also called for the reform
of the national electoral system, which they considered “non-negotiable”, in the next
electoral cycle.
18.
The political situation in the Kasai region is influenced by divisions within the
governing coalition that currently rules the country.
19.
On the health front, the measures taken by the Congolese authorities to prevent the
spread of COVID-19 from Kinshasa or the eastern provinces into the country’s interior
have met with some success, and no cases had been reported in the Kasai region through
the end of July 2020, when emergency measures were lifted in the country. At the time of
writing, there were two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kasai Province, one in Tshikapa
and one confirmed case in Kasai Central Province.
V. Monitoring, evaluation and support for implementation by
the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the
recommendations made by the team of international experts
20.
The recommendations contained in the report of the previous team of international
experts (A/HRC/38/31) can be divided into two main groups, namely, those for combating
impunity and those for supporting reconciliation efforts and transitional justice.
21.
In its previous report, the team of international experts referred to the State’s
establishment of a working group to implement the recommendations. As a reminder,
resolution 41/26 of the Human Rights Council encouraged the Government to ensure that
the working group would meet as many times as necessary in order to regularly assess the
progress made in implementing the recommendations, improve the coordination between
the administrative authorities and stakeholders and recommend appropriate measures to the
Government.
22.
In its interactions with the national authorities, the team of international experts
supported the Government’s efforts to facilitate the working group’s action by encouraging
the resumption of meetings. Thus, on 20 January 2020, the working group was able to hold
its first meeting in the presence of members of the Government, the technical and judicial
bodies involved in the implementation of the recommendations and the team of
international experts.
23.
To support the working group, the team of international experts, through its
secretariat, drew up a suggested workplan to help the working group with the methodology
and planning of its activities. The team of international experts proposed that the working
group should meet at least once every two months to evaluate and follow up on its activities.
24.
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures taken by the
Government in response to it, the working group was no longer able to formally meet to
continue its activities. However, from a meeting with the Minister for Human Rights, it was
ascertained that the Minister had been able to hold meetings with, inter alia, the Chief
Military Prosecutor and the deputy minister of justice to assess the implementation of the
items falling within their competence. The team of international experts did not, however,
receive any notes on those assessments. The team recommends that a plan for the
implementation of the recommendations be drawn up with a timetable and allocation of the
corresponding budgetary resources, which would enable the working group to carry out its
mandate effectively.
25.
The situation described above notwithstanding, the team of international experts was
able to continue its work by supporting the Government’s efforts in combating impunity
and providing for reconciliation and transitional justice.
GE.20-11095
5
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents