Congo capital violence mars run-up to vote

KINSHASA, Congo – Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo’s capital and security officials fired into a crowd that included tens of thousands of opposition supporters, prompting officials to ban rallies before a critical poll that observers say could reignite conflict in the vast central African nation.

Violence erupted Saturday among political supporters who had gathered to greet the top opposition presidential candidate, who had planned to come to the airport in a car convoy. Supporters of the president also gathered there to meet him, though he did not pass through the airport.

At the airport, security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition into the burgeoning crowd.

Scuffles erupted on the road to the airport. Two dead bodies were seen along that road.

Police also fired tear gas to push the crowd away, but riot police manned the airport hours later to prevent opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi and his entourage from leaving the scene.

It was not immediately possible to determine the total number of casualties.

Saturday’s violence prompted the governor to call off political rallies ahead of Monday’s vote. Gov. Andre Kimbuta made the announcement on state television Saturday.

Human rights groups had expressed fears about an atmosphere of spiraling violence and hate speech ahead of the vote in the large, mineral-rich nation. The outcome of the vote is almost certain to keep President Joseph Kabila in power.

How the elections unfold will be a likely indicator of whether Congo is consolidating its fledgling democracy or returning to a state of widespread instability after decades of dictatorship and civil war, according to the International Crisis Group.

In a nation where a third of adults cannot read, voters will be handed a ballot as thick as a book, due to the overwhelming number of parliamentary contenders. Politicians are using campaign rallies to explain to voters where to find their names on the ballot paper.

It’s the country’s first election since the 2006 vote that was considered the country’s first democratic vote in 40 years, but was marred by weeks of street battles led by supporters of the losing candidate.

Kabila, a former rebel leader, first took control of the country a decade ago, after the 2001 assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila, who ruled Congo after overthrowing dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997.