More than two years into the transition in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, the peace process remains at risk.
As many as 1,000 people a day still die from war-related
causes — mainly disease and malnutrition, but also
continuing violence. While the main belligerent leaders
are all in the transitional government, their corruption and
mismanagement threaten stability during and after the
forthcoming national elections, now postponed from June
2005 to March 2006. The international community needs
to maintain pressure on a wide front, making specific
security sector reform, transitional justice and good
governance measures prerequisites for the elections, not
allowing them to be postponed until there is a new
government.
