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Live rounds were fired and several people were injured as
Katumbi addressed supporters in the coastal town of Moanda on
Tuesday, marking an escalation in tension ahead of the Dec. 20
vote.
There are differing accounts of the incident. The provincial
government said in a statement that Katumbi's guards fired
warning shots after the crowd grew rowdy, stoking tension and
jostling. The police used tear gas to restore order.
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.
Almost 44 million people are registered to vote in an election
that will determine whether Tshisekedi will remain in office
after a first term characterized 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
gynecologist 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.
(Reporting by Ange Kasongo; Writing by Sofia Christensen;
editing by Barbara Lewis)
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