Kinshasa
Thousands of protestors rallied in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa on Monday, four days after five people were killed in banned demonstrations over the choice of a new election chief.
Protestors gathered in Boulevard Lumumba, one of the city’s main avenues, in the presence of former warlord and opposition chief Jean-Pierre Bemba, an AFP reporter saw.
Security forces using tear gas dispersed other protests in the eastern city of Bukavu and in the central city of Kananga, AFP journalists there said. The marches were triggered by a decision by the National Assembly — dominated by supporters of former president Joseph Kabila — to appoint Ronsard Malonda as chairman of the independent national electoral commission, CENI.
Pro-democracy campaigners say Malonda, currently CENI’s secretary-general, has played a historic role in rigging elections in favour of Kabila.—APP
