Four million people dead, and even today 1,200 victims a day, half of whom are children. Impressive figures, which give an idea of the tragedy of Congo. On Sunday, 30th July, the African country is called to its first free elections after those of 1960, held on the occasion of the independence from the Belgian colonial rule. These will be presidential and legislative elections, which could mark the end of a long period of instability and war. The Congolese Church, which has worked hard these last two years to educate and raise the citizens’ awareness with a message of the Bishops Conference, has given the alarm: there are still huge obstacles: the development of an integrated army is still lagging behind, the eastern part of the country is still in a state of insecurity, journalists and politicians have been threatened, there have been attempts to stop the electoral process and above all there is no positive dialogue to reach nation-wide agreement. July 20th has spread again the fears of manipulations and electoral rigging, and therefore the elections might be voided. To ward off such risks, the Congolese Church has prepared 5,000 electoral observers who will be working across the country.
