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| North Kivu, January, 2010 |
...Until the results will be released.
Or so they say.
So we continue to wait.
In the meantime, Pray for:
Calm and peace in Beni after shootings yesterday morning. They were (likely) not election-related. But it initially caused a lot of alarm among the population during the early hours of the morning.
(Roughly) translated into English from Radio Okapi Beni: 3 dead and 3 injured in clashes between FARDC and ADF-Nalu, the article is posted here in case you do not have a translation program in your browser:
Three people were killed and three others injured Tuesday, December 6 this morning at Beni in North Kivu, in the clashes between the FARDC and the Mai-Mai militia Ruwenzori associated with Ugandan rebels of the ADF-NALU. Calm has returned to this city and military authorities assured that the situation was under control.
Two attackers were killed and another wounded, said Colonel Ngeleka Celestin, the spokesperson of "Operation Safisha Ruwenzori," responsible for the disarmament of the rebels of the ADF-NALU. Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) had two injuries in their ranks, the source said.
An independent source confirmed that an officer of the Directorate of Revenue of North Kivu (DGNRK) was also killed and another National Fund for road maintenance (Foner), seriously injured in Mabolio area south-west Beni.
It is in this area that the Ugandan rebels of the ADF-NALU and the Mai-Mai Rwenzori launched early this Tuesday, December 6, their assault on FARDC positions in the city. According to Colonel Ngeleka Celestin, the attackers have besieged the areawhere is the Beni central prison. " They wanted to attack the State Police Headquarters and the dungeon of the military prosecutor's office to release all prisoners , "he said.
Beni was like a ghost town after the clashes, witnesses said.
The mayor of Beni, Masumuko Bwanakawa called the local population for calm and go about her normal activities.
Since last Friday, Beni was already under heavy military guard. Sunday, December 4th, the army was on high alert following the leaflets dropped in the city announcing an imminent attack by the rebels of the ADF-NALU.
Pray for the entire country, as we found out late last night that the results will not be posted until Thursday.
DR Congo election results delayed by 48 hours - BBC News
Congo's delayed election results raise fears of a return to war - The Guardian
This article focuses mainly on what's going on in the capital, Kinshasa.
ICC watching DRC vote - Independent Online
Democratic Republic of Congo: Failed but hopeful - Huffington Post
Beyond Elections in the Congo - Canadian International Council
With tensions high, people are still hoping for a peaceful reception of the results. Since there are lots of soldiers stationed throughout the cities and country-side, it's hard to know how or if that will even be possible.
Congolese men and women in other cities around the world have been demonstrating against corruption, rigging and fraudulent vote results in the DR Congo. Unfortunately, some of these protests have turned violent.
DR Congo protesters clash with police in London - AFP
DR Congo protests flare in Canada - AFP
As a dear friend in Beni told me, the biggest concern is for Kinshasa and what will happen there... Whenever the results are announced. So pray for Kinshasa and the citizens there.
Pray for the people of the DR Congo; pray for peace, freedom, safety, justice, and the future of this country.
It's frustrating that text messaging is still not working in the country. It's hard for our friends to communicate with one another... In a country where phone calls are not very cheap, sending text messages can sometimes be the most affordable means of communication. 
