President Laurent Kabila’s second term is scheduled to end on the 20 th December, and is barred from serving again by the constitutions. However, no dates have been set for future elections, and no preparation for a poll has been take. The country is experiencing a rapid rise in violence, mostly between rebel groups and government soldiers. To try and find a solution, leaders and representatives from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) met in Libreville, Gabon. This follows a power sharing deal under a national dialogue, struck between President Kabila and a fringe opposition politician that seems to guarantee the current President’s tenure until at least late 2017.

Whilst regional supranational institutions are still young on the African continent, they are proving more ambitious in promoting peaceful democratic transitions and criticising those who cling on to power than the African Union. Whilst the ECCAS has agreed to some initial steps for military assistance in the Central African Republic, the security situation in the DRC is still comparatively stable. It remains to be seen what 2017 has in store for the conflict stricken ex-Belgian colony.

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