UN delegation in Congo calls for peace, inclusive vote talks

KINSHASA, Congo – A U.N. Security Council delegation visiting Congo has called for peace as the country moves to reschedule its November election.

Francois Delattre, France’s U.N. ambassador, said Saturday the country’s election discussions must be more inclusive.

The government and others signed an October deal calling for the next presidential vote to be held in April 2018. The biggest opposition party boycotted the talks and rejected the deal.

President Joseph Kabila’s mandate was supposed to end in December, and critics have accused him of orchestrating the vote delay to stay in power. The electoral commission says it cannot organize an election before 2018.

Delattre also urged Congolese authorities to lift their ban on demonstrations.

The U.N. delegation travels Sunday to eastern Congo, where armed groups have killed nearly 700 people in two years.