DR Congo pledges on-time elections

Officials guaranteed the DR Congo's elections would go ahead despite rising tensions as an opposition rally organised in defiance of a ban imposed after deadly unrest was finally cancelled. The head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said 99 percent of polling stations were ready for Monday's presidential and parliamentary vote. Repeated delays and logistical headaches in a country two-thirds the size of western Europe had raised fears of a postponement. "Our teams assure us that things are going well and that the polling stations will open tomorrow on time," said CENI chief Daniel Ngoy Mulunda. "There will be no postponement." Opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi cancelled a rally Sunday, called in retaliation for a ban on one scheduled for the previous day in the capital Kinshasa, which would have been his final election meeting. For several hours Saturday, he and his supporters were engaged in a tense stand-off with police at Kinshasa airport, after officials banned all rallies because of deadly clashes earlier in the day. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union's election observation mission both condemned the chaos that marred the end of the campaign. Ban, in a statement from New York, called on all political leaders to show restraint to ensure peaceful elections, but made it clear that the government had "primary responsibility" for maintaining peace. The EU team accused the police of imposing "grave restrictions on the right to campaign and the principle of equality", and also criticised mismanagement by the Kinshasa authorities. A top election observer warned that the pre-poll violence risked creating a repressive atmosphere on voting day. "A lot of the time pre-election violence is a precursor to a situation of intimidation, where you are basically saying that you don't want people to actually enjoy the freedom to cast their ballots," said Malefetsane Nkhahle, mission leader for the 15-nation Southern African Development Community election observer team. Large crowds had gathered Saturday near Kinshasa's biggest stadium and at the main airport to welcome the top two presidential rivals, Tshisekedi and the incumbent Joseph Kabila, who had both planned final rallies at the stadium. The festive atmosphere soon deteriorated as police clashed with Tshisekedi supporters near the airport, using tear gas, water cannon, batons and live ammunition to disperse the crowd. One person was killed in the melee, hit in the head with a rock, according to police. At least three people were shot in the legs, apparently by police, AFP correspondents said. The interior ministry later said two people had died in the unrest, without giving details. The opposition disputed the figure, saying around 10 people had died. Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta, a Kabila ally, said officials had been forced to ban all rallies for security reasons, accusing Tshisekedi supporters of carrying stones, machetes, knives and petrol bombs. The violence closed a tense campaign marred by a series of street fights between rival supporters. The polls are only the DRC's second since back-to-back wars from 1996 to 2003. Also Sunday, gunmen attacked a military camp and an arms depot in Lubumbashi in the southeast of the country, killing one man and wounding another, a military source said. Local officials said they had arrested three of the attackers, suspected separatist militants fighting for the independence of the mining-rich province. And a military lawyer told AFP that an attempt to capture the head of the Mai Mai militia, wanted for mass rapes in the northeastern province of Nord-Kivu, had been foiled after a local army commander tipped him off. Sheka Ntabo Ntaberi, who is actually running for office in the province, is the subject of an arrest warrant for having allegedly taken part in the rape of nearly 400 people in the summer of 2010. He has denied any involvement.