Congo: Kabila stifles critical voices with travel ban

15 June 2017
Congo

MP Peter Luykx and Member of the Flemish Parliament and Senator Karl Vanlouwe deeply regret the travel ban imposed on them by the Democratic Republic of Congo. “President Kabila clearly won’t put up with critical observers,” conclude the two politicians, who are also electoral observers for the region. “This travel ban is proof of that.”

The official reason for the travel ban is not known. However, it is clear to Peter Luykx: “Our primary task as elected representatives is to critically monitor the situation in Congo. One of my resolutions on the human rights situation and the elections there clearly did not go down well.”

Peter Luykx and Karl Vanlouwe can count themselves in “good company”: two Belgian ambassadors, a Walloon MEP and even Didier Reynders, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Prime Minister, have received a travel ban.

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