Butembo business operators continue strike against tax pressure

In Butembo, North Kivu, business operators are continuing their strike for a third day to protest tax pressure and administrative harassment. Shopping arcades, gas stations, shops and small businesses remain closed as strikers denounce what they describe as a proliferation of taxes, inspections and requests for tax regularization by state services. A meeting with city authorities failed to resolve the dispute, prompting professional organizations to seek mediation from North Kivu’s military governor. Similar demands were raised recently in Beni, while the strike disrupts trade and daily activities in Butembo.