DR Congo on edge ahead of ‘banned’ protest

KINSHASA: A heavy police presence is expected in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa yesterday ahead of planned protests demanding that President Joseph Kabila leave power.

Catholic church leaders have called for a mass peaceful demonstration against Kabila’s 17-year rule, three weeks after a similar protest on New Year’s Eve that ended in deadly violence.

Police installed roadblocks on major routes into the capital on Saturday, causing traffic jams, while armed officers searched vehicles and conducted ID checks, including on the main road through the business district.

The church call has been backed by the head of the Muslim community in DR Congo, which urged authorities to allow the march to take place despite no official permission being granted.

“I ask the authorities to avoid repressing the march,” Cheikh Ali MwinyiM’Kuu,l egalr epresentative of the Muslim community, told AFP on Saturday.

“If they decide to repress, there will be no peace. But if they let the march take place, they will respect the constitution and peace will prevail.”

The previous anti-Kabila march, on December 31, descended into a bloody crackdown after police and security forces opened fire on demonstrators.

Protest organisers said 12 people were killed, while the United Nations reported at least five dead. The authorities said no deaths that day were linked to the demonstration.

The country’s powerful Catholic Church, one of the few institutions to nationally enjoy broad credibility, condemned what it called ‘barbarism’ and the UN and France sounded their concern over the death toll.

The church has been joined by a group of eight intellectuals in calling for the march to be peaceful.