EU renews sanctions on President Kabila’s preferred candidate ahead of DR Congo’s Dec 23 vote
The European Union on Monday renewed sanctions against the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ruling party candidate for the presidential election, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, and 13 other senior officials, just days to the landmark vote.
The EU imposed sanctions on Shadary and 15 other nationals in 2016 and 2017 over violent crackdowns on protests and repeated delays on the presidential election. Two have since been transferred to a United Nations sanctions list.
The DR Cong was initially scheduled to hold its presidential election in November 2016, but the electoral body said it was not able to conduct the vote due to logistical challenges.
The failure to hold the vote sparked protests in the country, with opposition figures accusing President Joseph Kabila of frustrating the electoral process in order to cling on to power. Kabila denied the allegations.
With Kabila barred by the Constitution from seeking a third term in office, he is backing Shadary to replace him.
Shadary served as interior minister during some of the protests and as a senior official in Kabila’s PPRD party.
The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes, the EU said in a statement, adding it would “review the restrictive measures in the light of and following the elections in the DRC and stands ready to adjust them accordingly”.
Should the DR Congo’s vote go on as planned, the country will witness its first ever peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.
