Haut Katanga Province of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been on exclusive lockdown from Thursday to Saturday. The province was on lockdown as a coronavirus measure however the supporters of the ruling party UDPS believe the lockdown was intended to prevent the protest from occurring. The demonstrations aimed to denounce the appointment of Ronsard Malonga as the new head of the electoral commission. The largest nation in Sub-Saharan Africa is renowned for its volatility since it gained independence 60 years ago from Belgium. Kabila stepped down years back; however, he remains influential behind the scene.
DRC Residents are Angry.
The residents of DRC took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction following the governor’s announcement. Campaign groups and political parties are angered by moves to appoint a politician accused by the opposition of assisting the former President Joseph Kabila rig the previous elections. The National Assembly triggered the demonstrator by making a decision that was dominated by Kabila supporters. The National Assembly planned to appoint Ronsard Malonda as chairman of CENI, the independent electoral commission.
Malonda, the current secretary-general of the commission is accused of assisting in every stolen election since 2006. Protests were scheduled; however, President Felix Tshisekedi is yet to approve Ronsard’s appointment. The president of (UDPS) Union for Democracy and Progress, Tshisekedi called its supporters out on the streets of Kinshasa for a protest on Thursday. At the same time, other coalitions scheduled their protest for July 13 and 19. The protest drew a hundred of supporters on the streets.
Kinshasa’s government told organizers the protest would not be allowed due to the state of emergency declared in the nation to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown was extended further for 15 days on Monday. The measures also included a ban on gatherings of more than twenty people.
Protestors Take on the Streets.
The protest was deadly, and the residents clashed with the police. The protestors remained persistent despite the government’s interference. Four people were killed as a result, and many demonstrators were severely injured. However, this did not stop the protestors who were determined and believed the new CENI chief is part of the previous regime.
“The UDPS was not pleased with the decision and planned this demonstration but since the governor of Katanga is part of the FCC, he wanted to play smart by implementing an abrupt lockdown so we wouldn’t go to the streets,” one the UDPS supporters said.
UDPS did not want to see a repeat of the past regime in 2023. They demanded to a neutral person and not a Kablist (supporter of Kabila) as a governor. The demonstrators vowed to keep protesting because they are tired of the same regime being brought back.
“We are fearful of seeing the same nonsense we saw in the previous regime for the next years, and this man is Kabila support. We are here to be given someone neutral” said another protestor.
Dialogue between the police and the protestors helped to restore peace. However, a new challenge came up as the LUMUKA coalition supporters also promised to take the streets on Monday. LUMUKA supporters are of the opposition side.
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