By Nina Mitch, Kinshasa

A huge inferno has ravaged a warehouse that had stored voting equipment in Kinshasa – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In an official statement signed by the rapporteur, the Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), announced that fire has ravaged its warehouse located in Capital Kinshasa.

This unfortunate incident took place the night of December 12 to 13, whose cause is not yet known.

The Independent National Electoral Commission reassures voters of the continuation of the electoral process despite this incident that occurs with only few days to organize the combined presidential, national and provincial legislative elections scheduled for December 23.

According to the first assessment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), this fire caused the loss of the electoral materials intended for 19 of the 24 communes of the capital.

 Eight thousand voting machines and many other electoral equipment’s also went up in flames.

“Just 9 days to the polls,  this fire is a blow especially for the city-province of Kinshasa. Because the electoral materials for the other provinces of the country are already deployed at the level of the various territories and cities of the country to 97%,”he said Corneille Nanga President of the Independent Electoral Commission during a press conference in Kinshasa.

 These material included:

• Nearly 8,000 voting machines out of 10,386
• 552 office kits on 8887
• 17901 indelible inks
• 800 new motorcycles and 15 Toyota vehicles
• Nearly 9500 external batteries

The president of the Independent National Electoral Commission ensures that “useful measures” are taken to guarantee “the unfailing pursuit of the electoral process”.

General elections are scheduled to be held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 23 December 2018, to determine a successor to incumbent President Joseph Kabila. They were originally scheduled for 27 November 2016, but were delayed with a broken promise to hold them by the end of 2017.