The United Kingdom said on Thursday it backs targeted European Union sanctions against officials in Democratic Republic of Congo to end government repression and encourage a peaceful transition of power.<\/p>\n
Dozens of people have died in clashes between security forces and protesters angered by what opposition groups say is President Joseph Kabila’s plan to postpone a November vote and stay in office beyond his two-term limit.<\/p>\n
Kabila’s government has said the election must be postponed because of logistical problems.<\/p>\n
The United States has already imposed sanctions on a general as well as former and current senior police officials, but Europe has been divided. France has said it is time to consider imposing EU sanctions.<\/p>\n
“The UK believes sanctions would play a useful role in influencing the DRC Government and security forces to desist from human rights abuses and suppression of fundamental freedoms,” a spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in an email.<\/p>\n
“We cannot stand by and watch violence, such as that on 19 September, continue and not take action.”<\/p>\n
Officials in Congo, a former Belgian colony, are thought to hold most of their assets in Europe. Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged the EU to impose sanctions, saying that it could help prevent a broader crisis.<\/p>\n
The vast, mineral-rich central African state has never experienced a peaceful transition of power. The United Nations said this week that the current crisis poses a great risk to the country’s stability and is likely to spark large-scale violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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