WEDNESDAY, 1.00PM
THE Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national radio station has announced a ban on meetings by political parties, public protests and any public meetings. The ban, similar to those Laurent Kabila imposed in areas under his control during the civil war, is for an indefinite period. Opposition political parties, which have planned marches against the new government, have said they will go ahead despite the ban: “We weren’t afraid of Mobutu, and we’re not afraid of Kabila,” said Dominique Kankonde, spokesman for the Democratic Union for Social Progress.
WEDNESDAY, 3.00PM
KABILA’S soldiers on Wednesday wasted no time enforcing the ban on public demonstrations, breaking up an anti-government demonstration in Kinshasa and detaining about 100 protesters and journalists.
The troops stormed the tail end of a festive march by about 2 000 people making their way to the offices of opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, beating marchers and shooting at them. No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting.
The detained journalists were released after being held for about an hour.