KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Diplomats gathered in the Democratic Republic of Congo called on all parties to ensure the upcoming elections were transparent and free of violence.
Roger Meece, the U.N. special envoy to the DRC, led a delegation of U.N. diplomats to Kinshasa as the country gets ready for presidential and legislative elections this month. The elections are the second since the country's 1960 independence.
Meece, in a statement, called for "peaceful, credible and free elections as part of the consolidation of … democracy."
Violence was reported between rival political camps and the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office said it documented 188 violations linked to the electoral process during the past year. The Congolese National Police or members of the intelligence community were blamed for most of the violence, the report said.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, said his office was reviewing various reports of verbal and physical violence as the Nov. 28 election date draws near.
Political violence in the DRC pitted incumbent President Joseph Kabila's People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy against opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress.
