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The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is “very concerned” about calls for violence and the ethnically based hate discourse in parts of Congo. The senior United Nations official said this in a statement.
“I am deeply concerned about the increase in hate speech of an ethnic nature and calls for violence in Congo after last month’s elections. And more specifically in the provinces of North and South Kivu, as well as in the Kasai and Katanga regions,” said Türk. “Hateful, dehumanizing and inflammatory rhetoric is abhorrent and only leads to more tension and violence in Congo itself. It also compromises regional security. I notice some efforts by some authorities against this behavior, but stronger actions are needed,” it said.
Finally, the senior UN official calls on the authorities to thoroughly and transparently investigate all reports of hate speech and calls for violence and to hold those responsible accountable.
Outgoing President Félix Tshisekedi won the Congolese presidential elections last month with 73 percent of the votes. The Constitutional Court has yet to ratify the result. The opposition candidates rejected the result. The country is certainly no stranger to post-electoral tensions.