United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday voiced concern about reports of rising political tension in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to uncertainty about a presidential election scheduled to take place later this year, according to Reuters. The U.N. statement comes days after three Congolese activists, arrested hours before a general strike in February to demand that President Joseph Kabila leave power when his mandate expires this year, were sentenced to a year in prison. "The Secretary-General is profoundly concerned by reports of increasing political tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo linked to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the country's electoral process," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement. He said Ban "calls for the strict respect of the fundamental freedoms and rights enshrined in the constitution ... (and) urges all parties to exercise restraint and express their views peacefully, including in the context of demonstrations scheduled to take place on 26 May."
