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DR Congo candidates working to prevent violence during runoff, UN mission reports

DR Congo candidates working to prevent violence during runoff, UN mission reports

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The two leading presidential candidates from last month’s historic elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have agreed on a joint plan to investigate the deadly clashes that broke out after the release of preliminary results and to prevent violence from recurring during the runoff poll, the United Nations mission in the country reported today.

Political delegates for President Joseph Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba met today for the first time as part of the opening session of the Joint Commission, a body set up under the aegis of the UN mission in the DRC, which is known by its French acronym MONUC.

The three delegates from each group decided to create two sub-commissions. One of the sub-commissions will conduct an independent investigation into the three days of unrest in Kinshasa that followed the 20 August release of presidential election results.

The other will define new rules aimed at preventing a repeat of violence during the upcoming presidential run-off campaign and during the post-electoral period. The two sub-commissions will begin their work tomorrow.

Meanwhile, MONUC and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the DRC, William Swing, are still trying to get the two presidential candidates to meet face to face. The runoff election is scheduled for 29 October.