Democratic Republic of Congo: Trouble flares after elections postponed.

Des violences ont éclaté mardi à Kinshasa et dans d’autres villes du pays, après l’annonce du président qui repousse les élections présidentielles jusqu’en 2018.

Violence broke out in Kinshasa on Tuesday and other towns after the president announced postponement of elections until 2018.

Les manifestations pour réclamer la démission du président Joseph Kabila ont été violemment réprimées
Les manifestations pour réclamer la démission du président Joseph Kabila ont été violemment réprimées © AFP / John Wessels

Les autorités congolaises ont dénombré pour l’instant onze morts pour la journée de mardi, mais selon l’ONG Human Rights Watch, au moins 26 personnes ont été tuées par des forces de sécurité lors de manifestations à Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Matadi, Boma. Des manifestations qui ont fait suite à l’annonce de report du scrutin présidentiel. Congolese authorities say 11 dead due to confrontations on Tuesday but the NGO Human Rights Watch say at least 26 killed by the security forces during demonstrations in  Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Matadi, Boma. People took to the streets following the announcement  on the presidential elections. 

Selon Joseph Kabila, il est impossible d’organiser des élections avant janvier 2018, pour des raisons logistiques et financières. Le chef de l’Etat considère donc qu’il doit se maintenir au pouvoir jusqu’à cette date, et ceci même si son mandat est terminé depuis le 20 décembre.

According to President Joseph Kabila, it is impossible to organise elections before January 2018 for logistics and financial reasons. The head of State said he will maintain power up to that date, although his mandate terminated yesterday, 20 December.

Le scrutin présidentiel qui devait désigner son successeur, était initialement programmé le mois dernier, or la Constitution interdit à Joseph Kabila de se représenter. A 45 ans, il est au pouvoir depuis 2001, depuis une réélection contestée.

The presidential poll to elect his successor was initially scheduled for last month, when the constitution prohibited Kabila to run again. At 45 yrs old, he is in power since 2001, since a contested re-election.

Indignation de l’opposition. Opposition Indignant.

L’opposant Etienne Tshisekedi, 84 ans, a posté une vidéo – non visible depuis la RDV – dans laquelle il a accuse le chef de l’Etat de s’être rendu coupable de “parjure”, de “haute trahison” et de “violation intentionnelle de la Constitution”. Pour lui Joseph Kabila “a perdu sa légitimité et sa légalité à la tête du pays”.

An opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi, 84 yrs old, proclaimed in a video, since blocked, accused Kabila culpable of “perjury”, of “high treason” and “intentional violation of the Constitution”. He says Kabila “has lost his ligitimacy and his legal right to be head of state”.

Pour Jean-Marc Ayrault, le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, “une date pour l’élection doit être fixée le plus vite possible, dans l’intérêt de la paix civile. Si rien ne se passe, l’UE devra reconsidérer le niveau de ses relations avec la RDC.

For Jean-Marc Ayrault, French minister of Foreign Affairs, he wants “a date to be fixed for the election as soon as possible, in the interest of civil peace. If this doesn’t happen the EU will have to reconsider it’s level of co-operation with DRC.

Kabila took over in 2001 when his father was assassinated. He was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2011.

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About bill

Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer. The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013. Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI. Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug 2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website. But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien. The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50. Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea. Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
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