Election turns violent

last updated 8 January 2015

Kinshasa, Congo

The announcement of a runoff in the Congolese presidential election sparked civil unrest in Kinshasa this week. Militias loyal to the top two candidates, President Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba, clashed in the capital, prompting U.N. troops stationed there to move in to separate the warring factions. Kabila, who took 45 percent of the vote in the 33-candidate race, is the son of Laurent Kabila, the man who overthrew dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and changed the name of the country from Zaire to Congo. Bemba, who took 20 percent, is a former rebel who became one of four vice presidents in 2002 under a power-sharing deal to end a civil war. He has been accused of all manner of war crimes, including cannibalism.