Police use tear gas to disperse banned protest in DR Congo
Police in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who participated in a banned opposition protest calling for President Joseph Kabila to step down before the year’s end.
The police fired at least five tear gas shells on Saturday morning to disperse about 60 opposition supporters who had convened near the house of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi in the center of the capital Kinshasa.
A large number of police forces had already been deployed across the capital to break up the banned demonstration. Some of the officers were armed with water cannon.
The central African country has further plunged in political turmoil and repeated bouts of unrest since early October, when the electoral commission announced it had postponed the scheduled elections from December 2016 to April 2018, paving the way for the 45-year-old Kabila, whose second term in office expires late this year, to remain in power.
A court has also said Kabila can stay in power until the next election.
Kabila had earlier announced his decision to prolong his term. A few days after the commission’s official decision, the president claimed that it had delayed the elections in an attempt to make sure the country was better prepared for the vote. His supporters also argue that logistical and financial constraints mean it is not possible to hold fair polls as scheduled.
The president, in office since 2001, is barred by constitutional term limits from standing for a third term but the opposition is accusing Kabila of manipulating the electoral system to stay in power.
Kabila first took office in 2001, after his father was assassinated.
In 2006, a new constitutional provision limited the presidency to a two-term limit that expires in December. He is, therefore, barred from standing for a third term.
Opposition parties have also called for restructuring the electoral commission and the Constitutional Court, saying they are partisan to Kabila.
In September, a wave of deadly clashes pitting the police against demonstrators rocked Kinshasa as the opposition demanded Kabila's resignation. Over 50 civilians were killed in the clashes and dozens more were injured. Since the deadly clashes, city officials have prohibited all unauthorized gatherings, with security forces vowing to enforce the ban.
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