Violence in Congo elections leaves five dead

Violence continues to disturb the Congolese elections, leading to at least five deaths after armed men attacked polling stations and a truck carrying ballots, the Associated Press reported.

The vote, which country experts and opposition leaders urged the government to delay due to logistical problems, comes after a weekend of violence that left another four people dead. This is the second vote the country has held since a war that killed more than five million people, Reuters reported.

Four polling stations were hit by masked gunmen in the south of Congo. Three gunman who attacked Katanga, a southern mining province, were killed by security forces, who were also holding another dozen gunman involved in the violence, Reuters reported.

Read more at GlobalPost: Violence flares a day ahead of DR Congo elections

In West Kasai locals burnt down three polling stations, leading to an election observer being badly injured, Reuters reported. Police fired shots into a crowd of about 100, trying to disperse the people gathered outside the mayor’s office complaining they didn’t know where to vote, Reuters reported.

Many of the problems hitting the election are due to voting materials arriving late, or not at all, due to the few paved roads in many parts of the nation, the AP reported. On Monday afternoon polling stations still weren’t open in Kinshasa because voting materials weren’t delivered. The same situation happened in Masina, another poor district close by Kinshasa’s airport, the AP reported.

The presidential election involves 11 candidates, although incumbent President Joseph Kabila is expected to win again.

Read more at GlobalPost: Congo goes to the polls amid hope and fear