Belgium seeks funds to plug Congo election funding gap

Date: 21/04/05

THE Belgian government will next week ask EU members to pledge more money to support upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht will urge his counterparts to plug a multimillion euro funding gap when ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday (25 April).

So far the European Commission has pledged €80 million for the vote but a major shortfall remains.

The Congolese government and the independent election committee have placed a price tag of €300 million ($400 US) on the elections.

The Belgian authorities are also expected to ask for logistical assistance.

The Congolese are expected to vote in June in presidential elections, the first polls in the country in 43 years. But there are doubts over whether the poll can go ahead on time.

Many Congolese have no identification cards and a massive registration effort has yet to begin. It is thought that registration alone will involve the work of 40,000 people in 9,000 different locations.

The vastness of the country and dilapidated infrastructure are also casting doubt on the timing of the vote.

There are also major security concerns in the country, with the eastern Kivu provinces still besieged by armed rebels.

In a March report, the International Crisis Group warned that without an increase in security the transition process could collapse, plunging the country into another bloody war.

It is thought that four million lives have been lost in Congo since 1998.

Prompted by criticism that the international community is not doing enough to help, EU ambassadors will today (21 April) discuss plans to send a mission to the country to help reform the armed forces.

According to diplomats the mission could help the Congolese army integrate former rebels into the armed forces and disarm other groups.

Article reports that the Belgian government was to ask EU members to pledge more money to support upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg, 25 April 2005.