Political manipulation of Congo's security forces has brought crackdowns on opposition parties and may lead to bloodshed in this month's election, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday. New York based-Human Rights Watch said the UN report documented just a fraction of the actual abuses.
The European Union and African Union issued separate warnings of a deteriorating political situation in the central African country. Congo is due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on November 28, but preparations are far behind schedule, the early stages of campaigning have been increasingly violent and there are fears of results being challenged in unrest.
President Joseph Kabila is seen as favourite against a divided opposition, but his challengers have strong support among the country's many ethnic communities. The report, produced by the UN's Joint Human Rights Office, documented 188 cases of election-related violence between November 2010 and September 2011. "The report notes worrying trends of manipulation of the state's police, intelligence and justice sectors by political actors," it said in its introduction. The report added: "A trend seems to be emerging wherein parties are targeted more often in regions where they have significant numbers of followers and are predicted to be the biggest threat against the ruling majority and the President."
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