The United Nations human rights chief has warned that the DR Congo could face a large scale crisis amid the protests that rocked the country amid an election date standoff.
Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein on Thursday said in a statement that the Congolese authorities “need to pull back from their extremely confrontational position” after the headquarters of several opposition parties were burned.
The country’s opposition is accusing President Joseph Kabila of plotting to delay the presidential poll slated for November in order to cling on to power.
Kabila is not eligible to run for another term in office since he is serving the second of the two terms allowed by the constitution.
The country’s electoral body says it need more time to prepare for the vote, that it may not be possible to hold the elections in November as scheduled.
Zeid says some civilians were killed during the protests, and has condemned the use of excessive force by the Congolese authorities.
