Kinshasa shuts down in protest against plan to reform constitution

Article excerpt

Kinshasa's streets emptied as residents staged a stay-at-home protest against constitutional reforms that could allow their leader a third term in office. The shutdown reflected deep anxiety over potential changes to term limits. Meanwhile, hundreds of Malawians and other migrants fled South Africa's Western Cape region as groups of xenophobic locals reportedly conducted door-to-door intimidation campaigns. In Senegal, football fans faced another setback: their World Cup dreams hung in limbo after visa applications to several countries were systematically rejected since late last year, threatening to keep supporters home from the tournament.