Two killed in clashes as Oppn protests sweep DR Congo

At least two people were reported killed on Thursday as rallies across DR Congo against President Joseph Kabila turned violent, with police firing tear gas in the capital Kinshasa and the eastern city of Goma.

Large numbers of riot police were deployed across the country for the rallies called by three opposition groups in defiance of government bans. Tensions have been soaring in the country where Kabila, in power since his father’s assassination in 2001, is widely thought to be preparing to remain in office beyond the two terms allowed under the constitution.

“A policewoman was killed by the crowd and a protester was also killed,” in the eastern city of Goma, Jose Maria Ajanaz, who heads the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in the nation said. 

But Goma’s police chief denied there were any police deaths, saying only a “looter” had been killed.