DRC: Etienne Tshisekedi’s call for nationwide strike ignored in capital Kinshasa

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a call for a nationwide strike by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi had mixed success, with the bustling capital Kinshasa unaffected, Agence France Presse reports.

The indefinite strike, over the results of last November's presidential election, did however lead to shutdowns Monday in some parts of the DRC.

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Tshisekedi has proclaimed himself president, after disputing the November 28 re-election of incumbent Joseph Kabila, who has been in power in the DRC since 2001.

The Congo News Agency said Mbuji-Mayi, the capital of Kasai Oriental Province, was the only main city in the country to experience major disruptions.

Jean-Alexis Kasuasua, the head of a regional civic society grouping in Mbuji-Mayi, told AFP:

"Shops were closed and traffic was less hectic than normal with many people walking on the roads."

While several schools and public institutions were closed in Kananga, in the neighboring Kasai-Occidental province, shops were open in the afternoon, another civil society group told AFP.

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Last month, Congolese troops ignored a request by Tshisekedi to arrest Kabila "wherever he may be” and deliver him “alive and in handcuffs” so he could be prosecuted for “crimes against the country,” Radio France Internationale reported.