Reuters (Kinshasa) – At least three people were killed during protests in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and other urban areas on Thursday (9 July), a UN rights body said, after the nomination of an election commission chief stirred public anger and further tension in the ruling coalition.
Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of supporters of President Félix Tshisekedi and democracy campaigners as they marched through the streets of Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Goma and many smaller towns.
The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) said it was “concerned about the use of lethal force by law enforcement which led to the death of two protesters” in Congo.
In its post on Twitter, the UNJHRO also condemned the death of a police officer.
The police declined to comment.
Awkward alliance
The protesters were upset at the move to appoint Ronsard Malonda as president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CÉNI). His nomination was ratified by the National Assembly last week but is yet to be signed off by the president.
Tshisekedi’s supporters accuse Malonda of being close to former president Joseph Kabila, who still wields extensive power through his parliamentary majority, as well as control of most cabinet ministries and the army.
The coalition government in Congo, an awkward alliance formed after the 2018 general election between Tshisekedi, Kabila and several smaller parties, has shown increasing signs of disharmony in recent months.
In Kinshasa the crowd tore down part of a building belonging to Kabila’s party, a Reuters witness said.
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