Democratic Republic Of Congo
A planned opposition demonstration on Saturday morning failed to gather momentum in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa after police occupied the protest venue.
The protest, organised by the opposition coalition led by Etienne Tshisekedi, was scheduled for 9:00 am (0800 GMT) near the country’s parliament to call for president Kabila to step down.
No protester or opposition leader was at the venue as the police had taken over the four improvised football fields playing football in the presence of police chief General Célestin Kanyama, AFP reports.
They added that the police had also blocked access routes to Tshisekedi’s residence and his party’s headquarters.
“We are organizing a non-violence tournament,” General Kanyama told reporters.
Demonstrations have been banned in Kinshasa and the police on November 5 prevented a demonstration by the opposition coalition.
On September 19 and 20, 49 civilians and four policemen were killed during a demonstration by the opposition coalition in Kinshasa.
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