DR Congo protesters urge general strike
Civil opposition groups in Democratic Republic of Congo called for a general strike on Friday in protest at the killing of activists during anti-government demonstrations.
Gloria Senga, an activist of the Struggle For Change movement, called at a news conference for a stoppage “in memory of our brothers and sisters whom the enemy has killed in cowardice”.
Anti-government protests in the vast central African country have turned deadly in recent months. The Catholic church and UN peacekeepers say 17 people have been killed overall.
President Joseph Kabila has refused to state whether he will step aside even though his term ended in December 2016.
In a statement read out by Senga on Monday, 14 civil groups called on the international community to help “push the dictator to leave power.”
Two people were killed in Kinshasa on February 25, including a prominent opposition activist who was shot by security forces, according to witnesses.
There is growing international concern that the DR Congo could slide into all-out violence as it heads to elections on December 23.
