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President Laurent-Desire Kabila, marking two years in power, on Monday spoke of the need for democracy to end instability and war in the Great Lakes region.
In a national address in Kinshasa broadcast by state television, he called for a "general mobilisation...to crush the invaders" and prevent turning the country "into a nation of slaves". "Let our streams, rivers, mountains, which belong to us, become historic battlefields for the defence of the fatherland," he said.
News organisations described Monday's anniversary as "bitter",
characterised by arrests and a "forced parade". The Associated Press said government troops arrested dozens of activists as soldiers, athletes, civil servants and state-corporation employees were "commanded, and some given money and clothing, to participate in the six-hour parade through the streets of Kinshasa".
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
