Kinshasa- Opponents of Congolese President Joseph Kabila have embarked on strike to demand that he steps down when his constitutional mandate expires in December.
Many shops were shuttered in the capital Kinshasa surrounding districts, home to 12 million people, especially opposition strongholds such as Limete as rush hour seemed lighter than usual.
Police fired teargas to disperse dozens of protesters from opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi’s UDPS party, who threw stones and erected barricades near the party headquarters in Limete, reports said.
But the strike appeared to have significantly less uptake than one in February over the same issue.
In the eastern city of Goma and southern mining hub of Lubumbashi, where foreign firms have big investments, residents said that activity largely carried on as usual.
Elections were due to be held in November, before Kabila’s mandate runs out on Dec. 19, 2016 but would be delayed as authorities enrol millions of new voters.
Kabila’s opponents accused him of dragging his feet on holding the election in order to cling to power.
Democratic Republic of Congo has not seen a peaceful change of government since independence from Belgium in 1960.