Confusion regarding DRC clashes death toll

By Godfrey Olukya and Fiston Mahamba

ARU/GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (AA) - The government of Democratic Republic of Congo has said nine people died on Tuesday during clashes between protesters and police in Kinshasa.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende said in a statement: "We recorded in the city of Kinshasa nine people killed including a policeman. Two women were victims of stray bullets and 6 men were killed while looting commercial establishments.''

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.

The UN mission also alerted Tuesday on the arrests of more than 100 people during the three days leading to the expiration of Joseph Kabila's term on Dec. 20, the first day of Congolese president's rule beyond his second and last constitutional mandate.

Said Mamane Sidikou, representative of the UN secretary general in the DRC said: "Since 16 December, the United Nations has recorded 113 arrests in the country, including opposition leaders and sympathizers, civil society activists and human rights defenders, media professionals, as well as others. Most of these arrests were carried out by the Congolese National Police (PNC), the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) and the Republican Guard, and took place in Goma, Kinshasa and Bukavu."

- 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 build 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 will 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.