10 catholic priests arrested in Congo for protesting and demanding resignation of President Joseph Kabila
Security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have arrested 10
priests and more than 200 protesters over Sunday’s demonstrations
demanding President Joseph Kabila leave power.
The Catholic Church had called for demonstrations against the leader,
whose constitutional mandate ended in 2016. Six people were killed in
the capital, Kinshasa, when police used tear gas and live bullets to
disperse the protesters, which also took place in other parts of the
country.
“We have registered the case of 10 priests who have been
arrested, including Father Dieudonne Mukinayi of Saint Christophe Parish
in Binza Ozone. He is detained in a residence of a government official
alongside eight parishioners,” Georges Kapiamba of the NGO Congolese Association for Justice told the UN-sponsored Radio Okapi.
“According to information we have, they were or continue to be
mistreated. Their clothes have been torn. Two nuns are missing, 257
demonstrators have been arrested and are being held in various cells in
Kinshasa,” Kapiamba added.
The Lay Coordination Committee, an arm of the Catholic Church, had
called for nationwide demonstrations to push for the implementation of a
political agreement signed between the government and the opposition on
31 December 2016. Under the deal brokered by the Catholic Church,
Kabila was to organise elections in 2017.
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