Treasury Action to Sanction DRC Official for Frustrating Elections a Step in the Right Direction

Press Release

After four years of congressional hearings focusing on the potential for disaster in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the U.S. Department of the Treasury finally added Celestin Kanyama, a Congolese government official, to the Specially Designated Nationals list for his role in using violence to prevent preparation for election.

"The Department of Treasury's decision to sanction this first government official is a welcome first step, however more must be done while there is still time to prevent chaos in DRC," said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa. "A growing number of DRC citizens oppose the extension of President Joseph Kabila's term in office. This action by the Treasury Department must be only the first step in our response to the actions by the government of President Kabila in frustrating the democratic process."

Kanyama is the Congolese National Police Provincial Commissioner for the capital city of Kinshasa, and is being sanctioned for extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, especially targeting women and children. As a result of Treasury's actions, all assets of Kanyama that are based in the United States or in the control of U.S. persons are frozen, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with him.

This action is consistent with H. Res. 780, introduced last week by Smith. H. Res. 780 would broaden the number of Congolese officials who would qualify for sanctions and urges the President to use existing authorities to help ensure that the government of President Joseph Kabila does not reverse constitutional restrictions to prolong his term in office by sanctioning those officials responsible for helping to frustrate the democratic process.

There already have been violent demonstrations in DRC against President Kabila's efforts to delay the elections by as much as three years, and observers, including the U.S. Embassy in the DRC, predict chaos in the country if elections are not held on schedule and Kabila remains in office beyond his term. According to the current constitution, Kabila's final term ends on December 19, and elections scheduled for November would select a new president before Kabila's term expires and elect members of Parliament, whose current terms also will expire this year. According to the constitution, if no election is held on schedule and a presidential vacancy is declared, the President of the Senate will assume power for a three-month term in order to hold elections. However, on May 11, the Constitutional Court ruled that the president would remain in office until his successor is voted in.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs had a planned mark-up on H. Res. 780 today, but that proceeding was postponed due to the unexpected early adjournment of the House.

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