DR Congo tense after 26 killed in anti-Kabila riots

KINSHASA: Sporadic gunfire echoed across Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital on Wednesday, a day after a reported 26 people were killed nationwide in protests demanding President Joseph Kabila step down after his election mandate expired.
African and Western leaders fear the political crisis could spiral into broader conflict, risking a repeat of the 1996-2003 wars in the vast, chaotic country that killed millions and drew in the armies of half a dozen neighboring states.
Protests erupted in the early hours of Tuesday, moments after the expiry of Kabila’s mandate cast the nation of 70 million into the constitutional unknown. Elections to choose a successor were delayed from November this year to mid-2018, with the government citing problems registering millions of voters.
The death toll of 26 was compiled by New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which said it had yet to provide a final tally.
The director of the United Nations human rights office in the central African country said it had “solid” reports of at least 20 dead civilians in the capital Kinshasa alone.
Some Kinshasa residents ventured from their homes on Wednesday morning but the city’s normally hectic traffic had subsided to a trickle and public transport was limited.
Demonstrations have been outlawed in Kinshasa and some other cities, with scores of people arrested, witnesses say. Authorities arrested about a dozen people for sitting in front of the office of the governor of North Kivu province in the city of Goma, said Serge Sivya, a member of the activist group LUCHA that was targeted.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende said that nine people were killed, including a police officer, on Tuesday. He said all of the civilians killed had been looting.
Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa’s biggest miner of copper and metals used in gadgets such as cobalt, has not known a peaceful transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. Armed groups have repeatedly clashed over Congo’s mineral wealth and used mass rape as a strategic weapon.
The main opposition bloc gave mixed signals about whether it would return on Wednesday to talks mediated by Congo’s Roman Catholic bishops. The church has assumed the responsibility of trying to prevent the crisis spinning out of control by taking on a mediating role.
“Those of you with political responsibility, listen to the voice of your own conscience, recognize the cruel suffering of your people and take to heart the common good,” Pope Francis told his weekly audience on Wednesday, addressing Congo leaders.
“I appeal wholeheartedly and once again that all the people of Congo, in this delicate moment of their history, should be instruments of reconciliation and peace.”
In what Kabila’s opponents dubbed “a provocation,” a new government was announced overnight Monday to Tuesday, headed by Samy Badibanga.
The freshly appointed cabinet is part of an October deal struck between the ruling party and tiny fringe opposition groups enabling Kabila to remain in office pending elections in April 2018.
However, the main opposition bloc headed by 84-year-old Etienne Tshisekedi rejects the plan. It wants elections next year — along with a pledge that Kabila will not stand.
In a YouTube video, Tshisekedi urged people “to peacefully resist the coup d’etat.”
Meanwhile, France said Wednesday that Kabila may face EU sanctions over his refusal to step down. “If things don’t proceed properly, toward dialogue and an end to the democratic impasse,” France will ask the European Union to consider sanctions against Kabila, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told reporters.
He said Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault discussed the option during a cabinet meeting.
The European Union imposed travel bans and asset freezes on seven top DR Congo officials on Dec. 12, three months after a crackdown on anti-Kabila protesters left more than 50 people dead.
Washington, which had previously targeted several senior figures close to the president for sanctions, added two more on Dec. 12.
Germany has indefinitely postponed talks on development assistance to Congo after the expiry of Kabila’s mandate, the German foreign office said on Wednesday.
“From now on, the Congolese Government’s scope for action will be restricted,” the statement said.
“The negotiations on development cooperation scheduled to take place next year will be postponed indefinitely. The German Government reserves the right to take further steps.”