DRC: 22 dead in anti-Kabila demonstrations

By Fiston Mahamba

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Congolese National Police on Wednesday announced the official death toll of protests that followed the end of the second and last constitutional term of President Joseph Kabila as 22.

The deadly clashes took place on Dec. 19 and 20.

"Nine people were killed in Kihshasa, eight in Lubumbashi, three in Matadi and two in Boma," said colonel Pierrot Mwanamputu, a spokesman for the Congolese National Police.

Mwanamputu underlined that 275 demonstrators were arrested during the clashes, out of which 147 are currently being interrogated.

Human Rights Watch and the UN Joint Human Rights Office said Tuesday over 20 people had been killed across the country.

Rioting occurred in Lubumbashi (the second largest city in the country) and Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Joseph Kabila's term had expired on Dec. 20.

Embassy closed in South Africa

Elsewhere, the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in South Africa’s capital Pretoria has been indefinitely closed after protesters attempted to destroy the building and attack staff members on Tuesday, the high commissioner told Anadolu Agency Wednesday.

“We are currently closed until further notice because protesters have threatened to get inside the embassy and burn it,” Bene M’Poko the DRC ambassador to South Africa told Anadolu Agency.

M’Poko said the police have been deployed outside the embassy to avoid any destruction of property.

“I will not expose my personnel to danger,” he said, adding that the protesters had also planned to assassinate him.

“You know protesters stole a firearm from the police on Tuesday and celebrated saying they can now do what happened to the Russian ambassador in Turkey to me,” he said via telephone.

About 400 Congolese protesters demonstrated outside the embassy on Tuesday demanding that President Joseph Kabila steps down.

Four protesters were arrested and were expected to appear in court later on Wednesday to answer to charges of theft and malicious damage to property.

*Hassan Isilow contributed to this report from Johannesburg