It was the first time since the Democratic Republic of Congo’s independence that a president used the exceptional “state of siege” or state of emergency.
President Felix Tshisekedi said he wanted to eliminate insecurity in the two provinces, where the Congolese government has failed to enforce the rule of law.
“There is a security vacuum, a judicial vacuum, and economies that are out of the central state’s control,” said Pierre Boisselet from Kivu Security Tracker, an organization dedicated to mapping out conflict in the DRC.
The military and police will take over positions from civilian authorities for a month, starting this week.
Their goal is to break a cycle of violence where armed groups in the area prey on civilians by taxing and abusing them, while benefiting from illegal economic activities.
The move to put military and police officers in jobs usually performed by civilians has faced criticism, because the Congolese army has often been seen as part of the conflict.
“They’ve sometimes provided arms and other support to rebel movements. The local population often sees the national army and the national police as one of the reasons why the conflict has continued to escalate rather than as a solution,” according to Phil Clark of London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
Evariste Iragi, a Congolese legal researcher, said the state of emergency is allowed under the Constitution to fight a threat that could prevent institutions proper functioning properly.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi’s ‘state of siege’ has been met with criticism, yet the move is a double-edged sword.
“It is an exceptional period which restricts citizens’ rights and liberty, such as free movement, expression, right to demonstrate,” he told the press
“A move like this can have serious consequences on the daily life of the population.”
