Republic of Congo: Gunfire Ends Post-Election Calm

DAKAR, Senegal — Gunfire rang out for hours in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, early Monday as armed men attacked police stations and a mayor’s office. The police battled the group, which rampaged through the southern part of the city, before the situation calmed by late morning, government officials said.
The violence upset the relative order that had been in place after the re-election last month of Denis Sassou-Nguesso, 72, the nation’s longtime president. The balloting followed a change to the Constitution that allowed him to run for yet another term.

One of several so-called presidents for life in Africa, Mr. Sassou-Nguesso has been in office for 32 of the past 37 years, starting in 1979. Last fall, violent protests accompanied the constitutional referendum that removed term limits and extended presidential candidates’ eligibility beyond age 70.

Opposition leaders condemned the referendum results, and the presidential election a few months later, as fraudulent. In the days around the March 20 presidential election, telephone and Internet communications were cut off, but the election was carried out peacefully.

 But violence broke out about 3 a.m. Monday as the armed men set fire to a handful of police installations and other buildings, including the office of a mayor, said Firmin Ayessa, the director of the president’s cabinet. Later on Monday, the nation’s Constitutional Court verified the results of the presidential election and confirmed Mr. Sassou-Nguesso’s victory.

 It was unclear how many people, if any, had been wounded, but no deaths were reported. Photographs of charred buildings circulated on social media, and residents reported hearing a fierce gun battle that awakened them and raged for hours. Mr. Ayessa said the group of attackers included members of a onetime militia, known as the Ninjas, which took part in a civil war against Mr. Sassou-Nguesso about a decade ago.

One of the former leaders of the Ninjas was the father of Guy-Brice Parfait Kolélas, the runner-up in last month’s presidential election. An aide to the younger Mr. Kolélas told Reuters that the politician was not involved in the attacks.

The Ninjas signed a peace agreement with the government several years ago, according to Reuters. It has been nearly four decades since the military installed Mr. Sassou-Nguesso as president. He initially stayed in office for 13 years until he lost the nation’s first multiparty election. After a short and brutal civil war, he took office again in 1997.

 Most people in this oil-producing nation live in extreme poverty. The country is rich in forests and wildlife that have often been the target of plunderers and poachers. The United States Embassy in Brazzaville limited its activities on Monday and warned citizens to stay indoors.