Kinshasa, January 20th, 2026 (CPA).- The branch office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni) in Uvira, Sud-Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has been vandalised and looted by the Rwandan armed coalition M23/AFC after its withdrawal from the city, according to a statement consulted on Tuesday by CPA.
« The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) informs the national and international community that an act of vandalism has been perpetrated against the building housing its branch in Uvira, in Sud-Kivu province (…). Such acts contradict the rhetoric justifying the rebellion as a desire to improve the political situation, while attacking the CENI’s property has the effect of undermining the democratic process, » it is read in the Electoral Commission’s statement.
The source has specified that this attack has seriously damaged the doors and windows of the building, which have been deliberately targeted and destroyed. “A systematic looting has taken place, resulting in the considerable loss of electoral and logistical materials essential to the smooth running of the electoral process,” the Electoral Commission has emphasized. Among the equipment lost or damaged, has indicated the CENI, are electoral kits (electronic voting devices, voter identification and registration materials), computer and office equipment, generators, solar panels, as well as electoral documents and supplies.
The CENI has deplored these losses, which will inevitably increase the cost of future elections. Furthermore, these incidents occurred in a context of security tensions characterised by violence attributed to elements of the M23/AFC. Similar attacks have already taken place at other CENI offices, notably in Bukavu, Goma and Rutshuru, highlighting the seriousness of the situation and the vulnerability of electoral facilities in the region.