Angry demonstrators on Thursday attacked a clinic in the Democratic Republic of Congo where Ebola cases are being assessed to protest against the postponement of the Sunday’s presidential election in some parts of the country.
The protesters stormed an Ebola screening center in the eastern city of Beni, one of three opposition regions where the vote has been postponed.
The DR Congo electoral authority, CENI, postponed elections in Yumbi, Beni and Butembo, citing insecurity and the Ebola outbreak as the reasons behind the move.
Opposition leaders have however condemned the move, accusing the authorities of trying to rig the vote.
CENI said elections would be held in the three cities next March, meaning their outcome would not be factored in the final result of the presidential vote.
Final results for the presidential election will be announced on January 15 and the new president sworn in on January 18.
The DR Congo presidential election was initially scheduled for November 2016, but the electoral body, CENI, said it was not able to conduct the poll due to logistical challenges.
Opposition leaders accused President Joseph Kabila of frustrating the elections as a means of clinging on to power, allegations he denied.
Should the elections now go on smoothly as planned, this will be the first time the DR Congo witnesses a peaceful transfer of power since its independence in 1960.
