Two killed, dozens injured as police fire at protesters in DR Congo

At least two people were killed and dozens were injured Sunday when police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) opened fire on church-led protesters asking for President Joseph Kabila to step down.

The head of Congo's UN mission Leila Zerrougui said two people were killed in the capital Kinshasa and the western city of Mbandaka, while 47 people were injured and more than 100 were arrested across the country.

One of the organizers of the march, the Lay Coordination Committee (CLC), said it had confirmed three deaths.

Police, however, claimed that there had been "zero casualties."

According to a preliminary toll compiled by state television, 22 protesters across the country were injured, including 13 police officers.

Catholic and evangelical churchgoers across Congo planned to take to the streets following Sunday services. Armed security forces, however, surrounded Kinshasa's main churches and blocked roads, preventing most demonstrations from starting and in some cases using teargas and gunfire to disperse them.

Protests also took place elsewhere in the country, from the northern city of Kisangani, to Kikwit in the southwest, and Goma and Bukavu in the east, and were equally met by a security crackdown and tear gas.

Organizers were demanding the prompt organization of elections and a pledge from Kabila not to stand for re-election.

Church groups have emerged as the main force opposing Kabila as political opposition parties have been hobbled by infighting or seen their leaders forced into exile.

"Our people no longer believe in the political will of our current leaders to ensure a peaceful transition of power," the CLC said in a statement before the march.

In power since 2001, Kabila struck a deal with the main opposition bloc to stay on after his elected mandate expired in December 2016, but authorities missed a deadline to hold elections last year as required under the agreement.

Fears have multiplied that the country, which experienced wars from 1996-97 and from 1998-2003, could explode into violence once more.

Security forces killed about a dozen civilians during two previous marches organized by Catholic activists since December.

(AFP&REUTERS)