UN chief calls for restraint, urges Kabila to step down
Michael D’Costa : The UN chief has called on Joseph Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to peacefully leave office in accordance with an agreement in late 2016.
The comments by Antonio Guterres late on Sunday came after security forces killed at least seven people and arrested more than 120 during protests against his rule.
Catholic protesters rallied in the capital, Kinshasa, and other cities after Sunday mass to demand Kabila, whose second term as president ended in December 2016, step down.
This has raised concerns that Kabila will try to remove constitutional term limits that forbid him to run again and extend his rule.
The UN secretary-general also called for restraint, urging security forces to ‘uphold the rights of the Congolese people to the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly’. Source : Al Jazeera