Civil society activists in the Democratic Republic of Congo have launched the ‘Bye Bye Kabila’ campaign aimed at forcing President Joseph Kabange Kabila to step down.
President Kabila is serving the last of his two constitutionally-allowed terms and the DRC was set to hold elections in December this year.
However, just like most of his African counterparts, in 2015 Kabila tried to alter the Constitution to allow himself stay in power perpetually, sparking off protests that rocked the entire country.
He then changed tack, and in October signed a frivolous deal with fringe opposition parties under the ‘national dialogue’ that will see him stay in power until April next year.
It is this development that is now the precursor to the current demos in the DRC. And recently, while addressing Parliament, Kabila vowed to crash any form of resistance against the deal.
“The deal currently represents the only roadmap put in place by the Congolese themselves,” Kabila told the legislators last week.
He added that he was ready to defend against any attempt to take over the country by force, pledging that elections would be organised ‘in the ‘coming months.
