23 delegates elected so far for inter-Congolese dialogue

Twenty-three representatives from civil society organisations have thus far been chosen from six of 11 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to participate in the inter-Congolese dialogue, the Office of the Facilitator of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue announced in a statement received by IRIN on Thursday. The six provinces include North Kivu, South Kivu, Katanga, Maniema, Orientale, and Ituri. A delegation from the Office of the Facilitator, headed by Hacen Ould Lebatt, is continuing its tour of the other provinces of the DRC to supervise the election of remaining representatives. The statement noted that thus far “all civil society organisations have warmly welcomed the plan adopted by the Facilitator [former president of Botswana Ketumile Masire] after [his] consultation with all signatories of the Lusaka peace accord.” The plan, as defined by article six of the “Declaration of Fundamental Principles for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue” and as adopted by the Lusaka signatories, aims at facilitating the designation of representatives from each province.