DR Congo President Joseph Kabila. He succeeded his assassinated father
Laurent Kabila in 2001 and refused to step down at the end of his second
and final term in December 2016. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged Democratic Republic of Congo
President Joseph Kabila to abide by an agreement to leave power, after
at least eight people died in protests against his rule.
Kabila,
in power since 2001, signed a deal with opposition groups a year ago
agreeing to step town once his current term ends and new elections are
held.
But violence has swelled in the giant, troubled
African nation after the date of the new vote was pushed back to
December 2018, prompting fears that Kabila may seek to extend his reign.
"The
secretary-general urges all Congolese political actors to remain fully
committed to the 31 December 2016 political agreement, which remains the
only viable path to the holding of elections, the peaceful transfer of
power and the consolidation of stability in the DRC," Guterres' office
said in a statement late Sunday.
Eight people were
killed on Sunday and dozens arrested as Congolese security forces
cracked down on protesters who defied a government ban to demonstrate in
Kinshasa and other cities.
Troops fired tear gas into
churches and bullets in the air to break up gatherings at Catholic
masses, in one case arresting 12 altar boys leading a protest in the
capital.
"The secretary-general calls on the government
and national security forces to exercise restraint and to uphold the
rights of the Congolese people to the freedom of speech and peaceful
assembly," Guterres' statement said.
DR Congo, rich
with mineral wealth but plagued by violence, has not had a peaceful
transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Kabila
succeeded his assassinated father Laurent Kabila in 2001 and refused to
step down at the end of his second and final term in December 2016.
Elections
had been due to take place by the end of this year under a
church-mediated deal but were further delayed, and the poll is now
scheduled for December 23, 2018.
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