Police stop Kabila rival’s ‘swearing-in’

banned his “swearing-in” ceremony yesterday, saying president Jo-seph Kabila was the legally-elected head of state.
Police used tear gas to disperse opposition supporters who had gathered near Tshisekedi’s residence in Kinshasa’s Liemete district and made several arrests, an AFP journalist said.
Armoured vehicles of the Republican Guard and a large number of police had also taken up positions around the capital’s main Martyrs Stadium where Tshisekedi had called on his supporters to attend his swearing-in.
They also used tear gas at the stadium.
“It’s banned. There is already an elected president who has been sworn in. We cannot have another swearing-in. It’s an act of subversion,” a source close to the head of the country’s police said.
President Kabila, who has been in power since January 2001, took nearly 49 percent of the vote in last month’s election, with Tshisekedi coming in second with 32 percent.
President Kabila was officially sworn-in at a ceremony in Kinshasa on Tuesday.
Tshisekedi (79), contends he won the poll but was denied victory by massive fraud. His supporters yesterday repeated that argument.
Meanwhile, the government on Thursday pledged to probe alleged post-vote police killings, as Human Rights Watch said security forces killed at least 24 people and “arbitrarily” arrested dozens since Kabila’s disputed victory was announced December 9.
Justice Minister Emmanuel Luzolo Bambi told AFP his office would work with Human Rights Watch to try to document each case in the report, and that he had already spoken with prosecutors.
“If the allegations are verified, the justice department will take action,” he said.
President Kabila’s victory was upheld even after international observers decried electoral conditions, citing problems in the vote count and the loss of huge numbers of ballots. – AFP.