Peace Negotiations Watch- Volume V, Number 17, July 26, 2006

CongoUN condemns irregularities in DR Congo election campaignAgence France Presse, 7/19/06The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) Wednesday condemned"inappropriate acts" in the campaign leading to elections at the end of this month. Lamentingclashes between rival supporters and attempts to bribe voters, MONUC said however that it"remains generally satisfied" with the campaign for legislative and presidential elections to beheld on July 30, now in its third week. But MONUC deputy spokesman Jean-Tobie Okalacondemned a number of incidents and irregularities nationwide at a news conference inKinshasa.These included clashes Saturday at a stadium in Kinshasa between backers of Oscar Kashala,one of 33 presidential candidates, and young stone-throwers who were beaten up, and thebanning of an opposition march in Goma in the east of the country. Cases of physical attacks anddestruction of posters and banners were reported in several places.At Kananga in western Kasai province, the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC) of VicePresident Jean-Pierre Bemba and the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD),which backs sitting President Joseph Kabila, were accused of noting down the numbers on voteridentity cards. They then handed out T-shirts and showed the symbols of the party they wantedthose participating at rallies to vote for. In some cases, the numbers of voters' cards went into alottery which handed out prizes, UN observers said. In another region, arguments between PPRDand MLC backers turned into pitched battles.MONUC's human rights division condemned the "nitpicking" and "threats" from political partiesor government officials targetting human rights activists and journalists as the elections drewnearer.UN says 4,000 rebels disarmed in DR CongoAgence France Presse, 7/19/06Almost 4,000 militia fighters have laid down their arms in the Ituri region of northeasternDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since June, the United Nations mission in the country saidon Wednesday. Fighters from various groups in the volatile province "joined the nationaldisarmament, demobilisation and rehabilitation process" as war-scarred DRC prepares formilestone elections, said Stephane Lescoffit, military spokesman for the mission (MONUC).As well as demobilising, the fighters surrendered 2,141 weapons between them, Lescoffit said.Despite the successful disarming of more than 15,000 militia fighters last year, thousandsopposed to the national disarmament drive remain active in Ituri, preventing some 200,000internally displaced people from returning home. DRC military authorities invited local militiasresisting disarmament to join them in talks.