GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 12 (UPI) -- The head of U.N. peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says the country should be secure enough to have "credible" elections in June.
Jean-Marie Guehenno has been engaged in an assessment of the progress of the 17,000 peacekeepers, the BBC reported. He said that progress is being made in disarming the militias still operating.
"I think that if things are managed carefully at a political level, the country could have credible elections," Guehenno said during a visit to the eastern town of Goma. "It's important to have speedy elections, but they've also got to be free and fair because if there are doubts about them, that could leave this country in an even more precarious situation than it is at the moment."
Many of the militias formed 10 years ago before the ouster of President Mobutu Sese Seko. While a majority are from the Congo, others are from neighboring countries, including Rwanda and Burundi.
