Unic Press UK: The European Union has issued a statement apropos the Democratic Republic of Congo to summon the ambassador, Bart Ouvry representing the European Union to leave the country, describing Congo’s action as “arbitrary” and “counterproductive.”
Excerpts from the statement, reference 842/18 28/12/2018 issued by the General Secretariat of the Council reads:
“As for the reciprocity invoked following the individual sanctions adopted against some Congolese citizens, the EU would like to recall that these measures are linked to the violations of human rights and the obstacles created to a peaceful exit from the crisis. They were adopted on 12 December 2016 and 29 May 2017 unanimously by the 28 EU Member States, and will be reconsidered in view of the elections in the DRC, possibly adapting them accordingly. The EU is a leading partner of the DRC and its people, maintaining significant cooperation. On the eve of crucial elections for the country, she believes that this decision is totally counter-productive, harming the interests of the population.”
The foreign ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo, had, last week, summoned ambassador Bart Ouvry to leave the country over the renewal of EU sanctions against Congolese officials.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, currently the world’s leading producer of cobalt, would today, Sunday, hold a general election to elect a president; and the current president Joseph Kabila is among the presidential candidates.
