Congolese protest on their independence day against their government and continued killings, human rights abuse and corruption
Congolese celebrated International Congolese Day, the anniversary of independence from Belgium in 1960, with a lunchtime demonstration opposite Downing St about the terrible situation in their the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Organised by International Congolese Rights, it drew attention to the killings (6 million since 1966), rapes and other human rights abuses in DRC and and also called for a stop to deportation of asylum seekers there. The DRC is a police state with very limited freedom for dissent; opposition politicians, journalists, human rights activists and others are at risk of harassment, imprisonment, killing or simply disappearing, particularly if they draw attention to government corruption. Demonstrators called for Britain, Europe and America to freeze the bank accounts of President Joseph Kabila and his cronies, and for Gordon Brown and the International Criminal Court to take action against the corrupt Kabila regime. DRC has vast mineral wealth - with 80% of known supplies of coltan (niobium and tantalum, essential for mobile phones and other electronics, diamonds, copper, cobalt and gold. Much of this wealth is exported thorugh neighbouring countries which support militia groups that control large areas of the country. The corrupt government has also made many questionable deals involving minerals.
Size: 3347px × 5040px
Location: Whitehall, (Downing St), London, England, UK
Photo credit: © Peter Marshall / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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