3 opposition party HQs torched in DRC violence Joseph Kabila
President Kabila

President Kabila

KINSHASA. — The headquarters of three DRC opposition parties were set on fire overnight and early yesterday, a day after deadly clashes between police and opponents of President Joseph Kabila left at least 17 people dead. The offices of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party in the capital of Kinshasa was set on fire yesterday morning.The fire at the UDPS offices came after similar suspected arson attacks at the headquarters of the Forces of Union and Solidarity (FONUS) and the MLP parties overnight, also in Kinshasa.

Congolese police on Monday, clashed with protesters marching against what they claim is a bid by President Joseph Kabila to extend his mandate.

The opposition say that President Kabila is attempting to delay the November elections until at least next year. His supporters deny this.

The opposition protest, attended by thousands, came at a time of growing local and international pressure on President Kabila to step down when his term of office legally ends in December.

The United States has threatened sanctions — an outcome that Kabila is desperate to avoid. In a sign of growing tensions between Washington and Kinshasa, the US embassy said on its Twitter feed that it was “outraged” by the harassment of its special envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Thomas Perriello, at Kinshasa’s airport.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon confirmed the death toll of 17 and urged Congolese national security forces to exercise restraint.

However, the president of opposition Reformist Forces for Union and Solidarity (FONUS) party Joseph Olenga Nkoy said that 53 people were killed in the violence, while a local activist said 25 protesters were shot.

Earlier on Monday, a Reuters witness saw a crowd burning the body of a police officer in the Kinshasa suburb of Limete in an apparent act of retaliation for the police opening fire on protesters.

Angry crowds in the capital torched the offices of politicians loyal to President Kabila and tore down giant posters of the president, chanting in French: “It’s over for you” and “We don’t want you”.

Rights groups reported that dozens of protesters and journalists have been arrested in the capital as well as in Goma and Kisangani, where anti-government marches also took place.

A government spokesman confirmed the detention of opposition leader Martin Fayulu, who suffered a head injury during the march.

By mid-afternoon, the majority of the protestors had dispersed and the streets in the normally bustling city were eerily quiet.

But in a sign that further unrest could be just around the corner, opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called for further protests in a statement late on Monday.

“(The opposition coalition) calls upon the Congolese population from this day forth to intensify and amplify the popular mobilisation every day until December 19,” said a spokesman for Tshisekedi’s UDPS party, in reference to the day President Kabila is officially supposed to step down.

In turn, President Kabila’s supporters are also planning a loyalty march this weekend, according to a statement released on Sunday.

Monday’s march was sparked by anger over a decision by the election commission last week to petition the constitutional court to postpone the next presidential vote.

The vast, mineral-rich central African state has never seen a peaceful transition of power. Western observers and donors fear that growing political instability could mushroom into armed conflict in a country plagued by militias.

Police said in a statement that officers had been warned to use restraint ahead of Monday’s march, adding that it would punish those who did not comply. —France24/AFP/Reuters.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey