(Photo by Pascal Mulegwa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
One person was killed on Monday following protests staged by supporters of President Felix Tshisekedi against violent crime in the town of Kasumbalesa in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s southeastern province of Haut-Katanga near the border with Zambia.
Protests erupted following the killing of a leading local Union for Democracy and Social Progress party (UDPS) figure by unknown attackers on Sunday night, observers told AFP.
A number of public buildings in the town, including two police stations and a court, and private property were also looted during the protests, local officials said.
Haut-Katanga province, where Kasumbalesa is located, is plagued by violent crime and the United Nations has documented in some areas cases of physical abuse, torture, murders, arbitrary arrests, forced labour and rape among other violations of human rights.
According to the town’s mayor, Andre Kapampa Kamwanya, the victim died in hospital after he was shot during the protests.
The victim was identified by UPDS provincial leader Bruno Tshibangu as the president of the standing parliament of Kasumbalesa, an unofficial arm of the party.
Tshibangu claimed that seven UDPS activists had been killed since July 9 and he also faulted the provincial authorities of falling short in their mandate to protect civilians and their property.
