Mr. Moise Katumbi who is one of the main opposition candidates for Congo’s presidential election slated for next week has suspended part of his campaign following violent clashes at one of his election rallies.
Tensions increased ahead of the Dec. 20 vote when live bullets were fired and multiple persons were hurt while Katumbi spoke to supporters in the seaside town of Moanda on Tuesday.
Various accounts exist on the the incident.
In a statement, the province government said that as the gathering became unruly and pushed against one another, Katumbi’s security opened fire as a warning.
The police used tear gas to restore order.
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Several people were injured, including a police officer who was seriously hurt, and investigations into the incident are ongoing, the statement said.
Katumbi said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that police shot live bullets at people and that the incident had been orchestrated to create violence.
“In order to avoid further provocation, I have decided to temporarily suspend my meeting with citizens in (the cities of) Kananga and Tshikapa,” he said, referring to events scheduled for Wednesday.
Kananga and Tshikapa are in the Kasai-Central province, which is a stronghold for President Felix Tshisekedi’s supporters.
Africa Today News, New York reports that almost 44 million people are registered to vote in an election that will determine whether Tshisekedi will remain in office after a first term characterised by economic hardship and insecurity
Katumbi is one of more than two dozen candidates in the presidential race that also includes leading opposition candidate Martin Fayulu and Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynaecologist Denis Mukwege.
There have been several challenges in the run-up to the polls, including alleged irregularities in voter registration and difficulty distributing voting materials.