Britain mulling EU sanctions on DR Congo ‘acts of repression’: envoy

Kinshasa (AFP) – Britain may seek EU sanctions against those to blame for “acts of repression” in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a British envoy said on Friday.

“We are talking to our European colleagues about targeted sanctions against those responsible for actions or decisions involving violence against citizens and intimidation of the opposition,” said Danae Dholakia, Britain’s special envoy to the Africa’s Great Lakes region.

On Wednesday, DR Congo’s Constitutional Court ruled that President Joseph Kabila, in power since 2001, can stay in office beyond 2016 without being re-elected, a move that sparked fierce protests from the country’s main opposition party.