Current:Home > ContactOpposition candidate in Congo alleges police fired bullets as protesters seek re-do of election -FinanceMind
Opposition candidate in Congo alleges police fired bullets as protesters seek re-do of election
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 11:22:28
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A main opposition candidate in Congo accused police of using live bullets to break up a protest Wednesday in the capital, as demonstrators demanded a re-do of last week’s presidential election.
Holding up a bullet, Martin Fayulu told The Associated Press that it landed near him while he was barricaded inside his headquarters during a standoff with police. His claim could not be verified.
Police said no live bullets were used, only tear gas, and that they were restoring order. AP journalists saw police physically assaulting some of the protesters.
Fayulu is one of five opposition candidates who called the protest.
Some rights groups and international observers also have questioned the vote and alleged it was extended illegally. Many polling stations were late in starting, and some didn’t open at all. Some lacked materials, and many voter cards were illegible as the ink had smudged.
In some parts of Congo, people were still voting five days after the election.
“I feel bad this is not a country anymore,” Fayulu said, adding that Congolese will not accept it if President Felix Tshisekedi is declared the winner of another term. If there is no revote, the demonstrations will continue, Fayulu said.
As of Tuesday evening, Tshisekedi had nearly 79% of the vote, opposition leader and businessman Moise Katumbi had about 14% and Fayulu had about 4% of some 6 million counted votes. The final results are expected before the new year.
Tshisekedi has spent much of his time in office trying to gain legitimacy after a disputed 2018 election, where some observers said Fayulu was the rightful winner. Some 44 million people — almost half the population — had been expected to vote in this year’s contest.
The electoral observation mission of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo and the Church of Christ in Congo said more than 27% of voting stations didn’t open and there were 152 reports of violence, confrontations or brawls. That’s based on a sampling of 1,185 observer reports.
At least 100 demonstrators gathered around Fayulu’s headquarters on Wednesday throwing rocks and burning tires. Some barricaded themselves inside as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Some officers stormed the headquarters.
“We don’t agree with these elections that just happened. We the people want peace in the country, that’s why we are asking that the elections be credible, transparent and peaceful,” said one protester, Christian Lampa.
The demonstrators hoped to march to the election commission, but the government on Tuesday banned the protest.
Fayulu’s assistant, Prince Epenge, showed a bloodstained floor in the headquarters and asserted that 11 people had been injured and taken to a hospital. That could not immediately be confirmed.
Rights groups warned that more protests could come.
“If (the election commission) decides to continue, it will plunge the country into total chaos, and the people will not let their rights be trampled underfoot by a group of power hungry individuals,” said Crispin Tshiya, an activist with local rights group LUCHA.
___
Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa contributed.
veryGood! (897)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Fired Fox News producer says she'd testify against the network in $1.6 billion suit
- Russia detains a 'Wall Street Journal' reporter on claims of spying
- Nations Most Impacted by Global Warming Kept Out of Key Climate Meetings in Glasgow
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- The U.S. condemns Russia's arrest of a Wall Street Journal reporter
- Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger Is Engaged to Thom Evans
- Women now dominate the book business. Why there and not other creative industries?
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Inside Clean Energy: Arizona’s Energy Plan Unravels
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Fired Fox News producer says she'd testify against the network in $1.6 billion suit
- Yang Bing-Yi, patriarch of Taiwan's soup dumpling empire, has died
- Medical bills can cause a financial crisis. Here's how to negotiate them
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Inside Clean Energy: What’s Cool, What We Suspect and What We Don’t Yet Know about Ford’s Electric F-150
- With Trump Gone, Old Fault Lines in the Climate Movement Reopen, Complicating Biden’s Path Forward
- Warming Trends: How Urban Parks Make Every Day Feel Like Christmas, Plus Fire-Proof Ceramic Homes and a Thriller Set in Fracking Country
Recommendation
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
College student falls hundreds of feet to his death while climbing Oregon mountain with his girlfriend
Octomom Nadya Suleman Shares Rare Insight Into Her Life With 14 Kids
Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik in discussions to meet with special counsel
Travis Hunter, the 2
Amanda Seyfried Gives a Totally Fetch Tour of Her Dreamy New York City Home
SVB collapse could have ripple effects on minority-owned banks
A Commonsense Proposal to Deal With Plastics Pollution: Stop Making So Much Plastic