Catholic Church Calls for Large Anti-Kabila Rally in Kinshasa, 21 January
Category: Unrest
Severity: 2 (Low)
Source: Drum Cussac
01/14/2018 (Congo (Kinshasa)) - According to local media reports, Catholic opposition groups have called for an anti-Kabila rally to be held in Kinshasa on Sunday, 21 January. The event is scheduled to occur despite a ban on public gatherings and political demonstrations. Organisers of the rally have urged supporters to partake in the peaceful protest, and a large attendance is expected. The protests come in the context of months of ongoing unrest due to delayed elections and the continual extension of Joseph Kabila's presidential term. Recent anti-government protests held on New Year's Eve saw six participants killed in a crackdown by authorities.
Unauthorised demonstrations in DRC tend to be met with a strong security forces response, typically involving the use of tear gas, roadblocks, stun grenades, and live gunfire. Government forces reportedly killed more than 50 protesters between April and October 2017. Travellers are advised to avoid all demonstrations and political gatherings in the DRC due to the risk of exposure to potential crowd disturbances, incidental violence and opportunistic crime as well as heavy-handed police crowd dispersal operations. Clients should monitor local media sources for further updates on the planned demonstrations to remain apprised of any unrest and associated disruption in their particular area of operations.
Copyright © 2024 Drum Cussac
Related
Congo (Kinshasa) Security Profile
Congo (Kinshasa) Alerts Archive
News Alerts and Safety Profiles are provided strictly for informational purposes and contain the best available data at the time of writing. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the information in this report has not been independently verified and HTH Worldwide therefore accepts no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies in such information and any such liability is expressly denied, and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made. Documents may be amended or withdrawn at any time without cause.