Violence during DR Congo elections leave 5 dead

Violence during DR Congo elections leave 5 dead

2011-11-29 03:21:35 GMT+7 (ICT)

KINSHASA (BNO NEWS) -- At least five people were killed on Monday while presidential and parliamentary elections were being held across the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said.

Interior Minister Bikanga Kazadi said gunmen attacked a polling center and a truck carrying ballots in the city of Lubumbashi, which is the second largest city in the African country. Kazadi said one police officer and four assailants were killed, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported.

The voting process started later in many parts of the country as polling materials were delayed in reaching stations. Nearly 32 million Congolese were registered to vote in the elections, which are the country's second democratic elections since its independence in 1960.

Voters, according to SABC, say the elections are "really important because they are becoming a democratic country like South Africa, Ghana and other countries in Africa, that are an example for them." Incumbent President Joseph Kabila, who is in his tenth year in charge, remains popular mainly in the volatile east of the country.

Kabila's main challenger is 79-year-old Etienne Tshisekedi who has been a key player in Congolese politics for some 30 years. He has a strong support in the west, including in the capital of Kinshasa, but caused anger earlier this month when he said he considered himself to be the country's president and called on the government to free his supporters who were arrested during recent protests.

Monday's elections follow a violent weekend, which saw members of rival political parties clash with police, leaving several people killed. It resulted in Kinshasa Governor Andre Kimbuta cancelling Saturday's rallies which were to mark the end of the presidential campaign in the capital.

On Sunday, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated the UN's support to what he called an 'historical process.' "These elections are crucial for the country's progress towards stabilization and development," he said.

Earlier this month, the UN expressed alarm after receiving reports of several human rights violations during the pre-electoral period in the DRC. The organization warned that such incidents could threaten the democratic process and result in further post-electoral violence.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO) released a detailed report which documented 188 violations apparently linked to the electoral process that occurred between November 1, 2010 and September 30 of this year.

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