Citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo face ongoing uncertainty and violence as Joseph Kabila, to date, still has not relinquished power. Mr. Kabila’s lawful tenure as president ended on December 19. Since then thousands of Congolese have peacefully protested and at least 34 protesters have been killed.
Unfortunately, the weekend saw another 21 civilians killed near Beni. Although this has been the site of skirmishes over the past two years, many believe Congolese soldiers are involved in the unrest.
According to Reuters, discussions to set up a presidential election will continue this week:
Local mediators from the Catholic church hope talks between Kabila’s ruling coalition and the main opposition bloc will produce a deal by Friday for Kabila to step down after an election in late 2017.
Catholic priests across DRC on Sunday read out a message from the church’s national head, cardinal Laurent Monsengwo, saying: “The time is over when one tried to hold onto power with arms by killing one’s people, these young people who only seek out their right to live with a little more dignity.”
Late last week, both The Washington Post and The New York Times opined on the escalating crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Post called on the incoming Trump Administration to act as, in its words, “if the flame of freedom doesn’t burn brightly from the United States, then next year the path for democracy will be darker for millions of people elsewhere”.
And The Times advises “Kabila to call off his security forces and step down as head of the interim government”.
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