Congo DR police will disperse opposition protests with tear gas

The dispute over the results of the general election in Congo threatens to further destabilize the peace and security of the country, which is already suffering from security problems in the eastern region, an issue that has hampered development and prosperity in the country, the main producer of cobalt and other minerals in the world. The five opponents of President Felix Tshisekedi in the race together with civil organizations, called on their supporters to join the protest today Wednesday to protest the results of the general election which they say were accompanied by fraud and that they should be annulled. The DR Congo government had previously banned protests against the election process. The Minister of Internal Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peter Kazadi, announced yesterday Tuesday that the protests will not be allowed and that "they aim to undermine the electoral process, and that the government cannot accept the issue." In their letter made public last Saturday, the five opposition presidential candidates informed the Governor of Kinshasa of their intention to organize a demonstration on Wednesday to protest the results of the general election. The preliminary results of the presidential election show that the current leader of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Félix Tshisekedi, leads by getting 79% of the vote. Moïse Katumbi, the former governor of the mineral-rich region of Katanga, is set to take second place, with 14% of the vote, followed by Martin Fayulu, (4%).