2015-09-16 12:48:00

Kinshasa: Violence during an opposition party rally


At least three people are said to have been injured, including one critically, following violent clashes Wednesday night in the  southern area of Congo DR’s capital, Kinshasa. This was during an opposition rally demanding that President Joseph Kabila leave office when his term of office expires next year, 2016.

Some unidentified men descended on protesters with sticks and stones shortly after the rally took off from the stadium in the center of the Congolese capital. Police intervened to disperse the two sides.

The opposition claimed that the assailants were soldiers dressed in civilian clothing, sent to the scene to disrupt the rally. In Goma and Bukavu, the main cities of east DR-Congo, opposition rallies took place without major incidents.

Political tension in the Democratic Republic of Congo has heightened ahead of the end of October local elections, which pave the way toward the November 2016 presidential election. Under the Constitution, President Kabila, in power since 2001, cannot run for a third term. The opposition in fact accuses the President of planning to hold on to power past the term limit.

(Source: Misna)

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