World
Gunfire, Tear Gas in Protests Against Possible Congo Election Delay
Aaron Ross, REUTERS
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Security forces fired live rounds and tear gas at rock-throwing protesters in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital on Monday as opposition parties tried to block a change in the law that may delay elections due in 2016.
Smoke billowed into the air as tyres burned in the streets of Kinshasa, where police in riot gear and armed presidential guards were deployed.
Two military helicopters flew overhead. Witnesses said police fire shots in some neighborhoods. Protests also erupted in Goma, the main city in eastern Congo.
The demonstrations are against a revised election law that requires a national census be carried out before elections, a move that could delay the polls by years and allow President Joseph Kabila to put off standing down.
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