Last Sunday’s peaceful marches in Democratic Republic of Congo, organised by the Catholic Church, calling for respect for the country’s constitution, prompted a crackdown by the military that left at least six people dead, around 50 people injured and dozens arrested.
Protesters were demanding that President Joseph Kabila – whose legitimate term of office expired more than a year ago – should step down. Many protesters gathered after Mass to march through the streets, accompanied by members of the clergy, despite roadblocks on major routes. DRC’s evangelical Christian churches lent their support to the marches, as did the country’s Muslim community.
One of those killed in Kinshasa was a 16-year-old girl at a church door, caught in gunfire from an armoured car passing the church.
The Congolese authorities had banned the marches. The UN mission in DRC said it deployed its troops on the streets to observe and record any violence.
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