Mediators urged Congo's President and opposition parties today to reach an agreement before Christmas on a peaceful settlement to the country's political crisis, saying dozens already have been killed this week amid protests over the president's stay in power. "Enough is enough," said Monseigneur Marcel Utembi with the team of Catholic church mediators. "A solution must be found as soon as possible by all political actors, but in particular by the government in order to reassure the Congolese people." President Joseph Kabila's mandate ended this week and he is constitutionally barred from seeking another term, but a court has ruled that he can remain in power until new elections, which have been indefinitely delayed. The vote once was set for November, but the ruling party now says it won't be held until 2018.
