Kinshasa (AFP) - The headquarters of three DR Congo opposition parties were torched overnight and early Tuesday, a day after deadly clashes between police and opponents of President Joseph Kabila, AFP journalists said.

At least two burnt bodies could be seen in the fire-ravaged offices of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), while two other people were burnt alive and one person injured, they said.

By 8:30 am (0730 GMT) flames were dying down at the headquarters of the Forces of Union and Solidarity (FONUS) and the Lumumbist Progressive Movement (MLP) in the north of the capital Kinshasa.

Fire was still raging at the UDPS building where a tearful woman in her 40s said that her husband had been there when unidentified assailants attacked the building.

"I've just put my husband's body in the morgue. He was killed in the clashes," she told AFP.

The fresh violence came after a bloody day on Monday during which opposition groups said more than 50 people had died.

For its part, the government said that at least 17 had perished in the clashes but warned that the toll could rise further.

The opposition said that security forces fired live ammunition into protesters and urged supporters to pour onto the streets again to demand Kabila step down.

Monday's violence started just before an opposition rally by demonstrators who fear Kabila -- who has ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001 -- is planning to extend his rule unconstitutionally.

The clashes were the worst violence in the capital since January 2015 when a police crackdown on another opposition protest left several dozen people dead.

Kabila's mandate ends on December 20 and although the constitution bans him from running again, he has made no effort to schedule elections, fuelling fears he will attempt to cling on to power.

In May, the Constitutional Court said Kabila could remain in office in a caretaker capacity until an election is held, triggering a wave of angry protests.

France and former colonial power Belgium have voiced concern over the unrest and urged political forces to organise an election quickly.

A fringe opposition group has been meeting with the government in a bid to organise a schedule for elections, but veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to participate in the talks which are due to end on Saturday.

Last week, Amnesty International accused Kinshasa of the "systematic repression" of those seeking Kabila's departure.

An AFP photographer and a journalist working for French radio station RFI were briefly detained by the security forces while they covered the clashes.

They were beaten several times and eventually released. However, the AFP photographer's confiscated memory cards were not returned. </s> Kinshasa. The headquarters of three DR Congo opposition parties were torched overnight and early Tuesday, a day after deadly clashes between police and opponents of President Joseph Kabila, AFP journalists said.

At least two burnt bodies could be seen in the fire-ravaged offices of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), while two other people were burnt alive and one person injured, they said.

By 8:30 am flames were dying down at the headquarters of the Forces of Union and Solidarity (FONUS) and the Lumumbist Progressive Movement (MLP) in the north of the capital Kinshasa.

Fire was still raging at the UDPS building where a tearful woman in her 40s said that her husband had been there when unidentified assailants attacked the building.

“I’ve just put my husband’s body in the morgue. He was killed in the clashes,” she told AFP. The fresh violence came after a bloody day on Monday during which opposition groups said more than 50 people had died.

For its part, the government said that at least 17 had perished in the clashes but warned that the toll could rise further.

The opposition said that security forces fired live ammunition into protesters and urged supporters to pour onto the streets again to demand Kabila step down.

Monday’s violence started just before an opposition rally by demonstrators who fear Kabila -- who has ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001 -- is planning to extend his rule unconstitutionally.

The clashes were the worst violence in the capital since January 2015 when a police crackdown on another opposition protest left several dozen people dead.

Kabila’s mandate ends on December 20 and although the constitution bans him from running again, he has made no effort to schedule elections, fuelling fears he will attempt to cling on to power.

In May, the Constitutional Court said Kabila could remain in office in a caretaker capacity until an election is held, triggering a wave of angry protests.

France and former colonial power Belgium have voiced concern over the unrest and urged political forces to organise an election quickly.

A fringe opposition group has been meeting with the government in a bid to organise a schedule for elections, but veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to participate in the talks which are due to end on Saturday. (AFP) </s> Kinshasa (AFP) - A government crackdown on demonstrations against President Joseph Kabila in Democratic Republic of Congo has led to the killing of 47 people in just over a year, a UN report seen by AFP said Monday.

"Between 1 January 2017 and 31 January 2018, at least 47 people, including women and children, were killed by security services and defence forces in the context of demonstrations," the report states.

It added that there were indications Congolese security services had attempted to cover up the deaths by removing the bodies of victims and obstructing the work of national and international observers.

The report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN mission chief in DR Congo Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein as well as UN special representative for DRC Leila Zerrougui documents "killings and other serious human rights violations due to the use of excessive force by security services and defence forces" against protesters.

The UN condemned the "systematic suppression of demonstrations, including through the use of disproportionate force (which) is a serious breach of international human rights law and the laws of the DRC."

The world body called for "a meaningful, transparent and independent judicial investigation into these violations and other allegations", noting that security forces were seemingly able to act "with almost full impunity".

Zerrougui and Zeid urged the Kinshasa government to permit peaceful assembly and expression, warning repression would likely spark more unrest and "could pose a threat to the electoral process."

Public protests have mounted over months after Kabila refused to leave office when his term expired in December 2016.

Three demonstrations since the new year have left at least 17 dead.

The influential Catholic Church brokered an accord under which Kabila could remain in power if elections were jeld last year but the deal fell through.

The Church wants Kabila to stand aside in a presidential vote now slated for December 23.

"For credible elections to be held at the end of this year, the government has an obligation to ensure that people’s civil and political rights are respected and their exercise is facilitated," the report concluded.

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Opposition lawmaker Gerard Mulumba, arrested in November, was meanwhile handed an 18-month jail term Monday for "insulting" Kabila, his defence counsel Leon Ngombwa said, vowing to appeal. </s> Scattered protests started on Tuesday, and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Kabila, who has remained in power beyond his constitutional mandate with no election to pick a successor.

Gunfire crackled in several districts of the capital Kinshasa, a city of 12 million, as measures to thwart dissent raised fears of bloody repression.

"On the issue of deaths, it looks bad," the U.N. human rights director for Congo, Jose Maria Aranaz, told Reuters.

"We are reviewing allegations of up to 20 civilians killed, but it (the information) is pretty solid."

At least two civilians were killed overnight when soldiers opened fire during clashes in the neighborhood of Kingabwa, two witnesses said. The government spokesman could not be reached for comment and a police spokesman had no information.

With a ban on demonstrations in force and a heavy military presence, Kinshasa's normally busy main boulevards were for the most part deserted as pockets of youths gathered in sidestreets only to be dispersed by volleys of teargas.

By sunset, the city was calm, although littered with debris and burned tires from earlier rioting.

Scores of people were arrested, especially in the eastern city of Goma, rights groups said. Reuters witnesses saw more than a dozen young men who had been arrested seated in the back of a military truck near the university.

"I'm gravely concerned by the arrests of those who seek to express their political views," the head of the U.N. mission Maman Sidikou said in a statement, adding that U.N. staff had not been able to consistently gain access to jails to gather information on how many people had been arrested.

He called on Congo to end "politically-motivated detentions".U.N. peacekeepers in armoured personnel carriers patrolled the streets, at one point cheered on by a crowd shouting: "Kabila, know that your mandate is finished!"

In Lubumbashi, in the heart of Africa's richest copper mining area, police and Kabila's elite Republican Guard fired live bullets to prevent demonstrations, Gregoire Mulamba, a local human rights activist, told Reuters.

Local activist Jean-Pierre Muteba reported at least one death, a 14-year-old boy shot by police. A police spokesman said he did not have enough information to comment.

The mayor of Lubumbashi, Jean Oscar Sanguza, told Reuters security forces had intervened to stop looters.

In the city of Kananga, in central Congo, fighting between security forces and a local clan militia shut down the airport.

In a video posted on YouTube, opposition leader Tshisekedi called on people to "not recognize the ... illegal ... authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist (his) coup d'etat."Authorities have blocked most social media.

Western powers are nervous of a repeat of the conflicts between 1996 to 2003 that killed millions, drew in half a dozen neighboring armies and saw rebel fighters rape women en masse. Congo has never experienced a peaceful transition of power. The United States and European Union have called for Kabila to respect the constitution.

Congo's former colonial master Belgium said on Tuesday it would "re-examine" relations with Kabila and France urged the European Union re-examine its links with Congo. Kabila, who has ruled since 2001, rarely speaks about the issue in public, but his allies say the election was delayed because of logistical and financial problems. The constitutional court has ruled Kabila can stay on until the vote takes place. </s> KINSHASA: More than 50 people were killed on Monday in clashes between protesters and security forces in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, opposition groups said, calling for further anti-government demonstrations.

The government earlier said that at least 17 had died in the violence in Kinshasa ahead of a planned opposition rally, but had warned that the death toll could rise.

“The coalition (of opposition groups) deplores the number of victims, more than 50 dead at this point, victims of the firing of real bullets by the police and the republican guard,” it said in a statement.

It also called on people to gather on Tuesday “to keep up without hesitation the demands made today.”

The rally, which the authorities cancelled, had been called to demand the resignation of President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001. Opponents fear he is planning to extend his rule unconstitutionally.

The clashes Monday were the worst violence in the capital since January 2015 when a police crackdown on another opposition protest left several dozen people dead.

Interior Minister Evariste Boshab described the violence as an attempted “uprising” and said the victims included three police officers.

The main opposition parties had called for a nationwide demonstration to “give notice” to Kabila, whose mandate expires on December 20.

Although Kabila is banned by the constitution from running again, he has not made any move to schedule elections, fuelling fears he will seek to extend his stay in office.

In May, the Constitutional Court said Kabila could remain in office in a caretaker capacity until an election is held, triggering a wave of angry protests.

France on Monday described the unrest as “very dangerous and extremely worrying” and urged Kabila to lay out a clear timetable for a vote.

“What matters is the date of elections,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

“If they’re delayed endlessly, that means that Kabila intends to stay in power,” he said.

“That’s a situation that is not acceptable.”

Former colonial power Belgium called in a foreign ministry statement for “restraint” and urged all political groups to “quickly” organise elections.

So far, there has been no move to schedule elections and at this stage, it appears practically impossible to organise a poll before the end of the year.

A fringe opposition group has been meeting with the government in a bid to organise a schedule for elections, but veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to participate in the talks which are due to end on Saturday.

Last week, Amnesty International accused Kinshasa of the “systematic repression” of those seeking Kabila’s departure.

Monday’s rally had been due to start in Kinshasa in the early afternoon, but during the morning, scuffles broke out between stone-throwing youths and anti-riot police.

Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of stone-throwers as they tried to march on parliament ahead of the demonstration, which was promptly cancelled by the authorities.

“Kinshasa just experienced an uprising which ended in failure,” Boshab said, accusing demonstrators of “deliberately” ignoring a schedule which had been agreed with the authorities.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende had earlier told AFP that two policemen were killed in violence against the ruling party’s offices in the volatile Limete district.

A Catholic nun said one of the policemen had been “burnt alive”.

Government officials also accused the opposition of “targeted looting”, while private security officials said there had been several looting incidents involving banks and Chinese-run shops in the south of the city, which is home to some 10 million people.

Earlier, youths were seen hurling stones at police on the city’s main avenue as plumes of smoke rose into the air from burning tyres and from a car and a minibus that had been set alight.

“Kabila, get out!” they shouted as they waved the blue-and-white flags of the opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), which is headed by Tshisekedi, 83.

Party spokesman Bruno Tshibala told AFP he had seen four bodies in the office of an allied party.

Activists were also seen burning a giant poster of Kabila in which he appealed for the two sides to resolve the crisis through “dialogue”. And a diplomatic source reported clashes in several places along the road to the capital’s airport.

An AFP photographer and a journalist working for French radio station RFI were briefly detained by the security forces while they covered the clashes.

They were beaten several times and eventually released. However, the AFP photographer’s confiscated memory cards were not returned. – AFP </s> NEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) - European nations will discuss the possibility of imposing sanctions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo given the repeated postponement of elections, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Monday.

Congolese police and anti-government protesters clashed in the capital Kinshasa on Monday, killing at least 17 people including three policemen, during a march against President Joseph Kabila's perceived bid to extend his mandate.

"What counts is the date of the elections. If the elections keep getting postponed it means that Mr Kabila wants to stay in power by all means," Ayrault told reporters in New York where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly. Ayrault called the situation unacceptable.

A senior adviser to Democratic Republic of Congo President Kabila said on Friday he was on a "pleading mission" to Washington to press U.S. officials to support talks between the government and opposition on setting up new elections and not to impose sanctions that could hurt the process.

Asked whether France wanted sanctions such as those Washington has imposed for what it described as the violent suppression of opposition to Kabila's government, Ayrault told reporters: "it's a question we will discuss (among) Europeans, but it's true the situation is very worrying, extremely dangerous and has potential for even more violence."

The vast, mineral-rich central African state has never experienced a peaceful transition of power. Donors fear that growing political instability could turn into armed conflict in a country plagued by militias, especially in its lawless eastern regions.

Millions of people died in regional wars in Congo between 1996 and 2003 that drew in armies from half a dozen countries. (Reporting By John Irish; editing by Grant McCool) </s> Kinshasa — The powerful Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo has said it supports calls for a nationwide stoppage on Friday in response to a bloody crackdown on protests against President Joseph Kabila.

An umbrella group of 10 pro-democracy groups has appealed for a "ghost town" protest, in which cities come to a standstill, over the deaths of two activists shot by police in demonstrations on February 25.

A church-backed group called the Lay Co-ordination Committee on Thursday said that it "completely supported" the initiative.

The deaths on February 25 added to 15 killings in marches on December 31 and January 21, according to UN and church figures. The three rallies, organised by the committee have thrown an international spotlight on the tension in the nation.

Kabila was due to stand down from office in December 2016, ending his second elected term. However, he has controversially stayed on under laws enabling him to retain power until his successor is elected. The latest timetable to hold elections is for December 23 — a year later than scheduled under a December 31 2016 peace deal brokered by the church. </s> Thursday brought a new twist to the upcoming polls in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a fightback against the election body’s suspension of voting in three regions, a call for nationwide strike and the literal sacking of the European Union envoy by government.

Earlier this week, voting was cancelled for three cities. Beni and Butembo – known opposition strongholds and Yumbi over rising spate of insecurity. The elections body, CENI, said the three cities will vote in March 2019 but that their results would not affect the conduct of the December 30 polls.

As expected, the main opposition Lamuka coalition have flatly rejected the move with its leader, ex-oil tycoon Martin Fayulu, announcing a nationwide shutdown to protest CENI’s decision.

“We are launching a patriotic call for a dead city day on Friday, December 28th, over the entire expanse of the Republic. #Beni, #Butembo and #Yumbi are an integral part of the #RDC which is one and indivisible,” Fayulu wrote in a tweet accompanied by a Lamuka statement.

The Catholic Church and Lucha activists have also protested over recent decisions by the CENI. The Church says it was unacceptable to adjourn elections for a part of the country. Whiles the influential activists group also accused CENI of preparing the grounds for chaos.

With barely just days to the elections, Kinshasa has asked the European Union to recall its representative citing targeted sanctions against 14 Congolese officials.

Brussels had sanctioned the 14 officials for their roles in repression of anti-Kabila protests. A government communication signed by Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu gave the EU 48 hours to withdraw its envoy.

Among the affected officials are Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the ruling party’s candidate in the elections – at the time he was serving as Interior Minister, hence his inclusion.

Kinshasa had lobbied hard at a point soliciting the help of the African Union to ensure Shadary was free of the sanctions but the EU Council in early December voted to maintain the sanctions.

The upcoming elections were supposed to take place in late 2016 but were postponed by two whole years with the elections body, CENI, citing the lack of a credible voters roll, funding and insecurity.

Even this coming Sunday’s vote had been postponed from an earlier date of December 23. CENI cited loss of materials at a Kinshasa warehouse inferno for the decision. </s> KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congolese security forces shot dead at least six people and fired tear gas to disperse a banned protest against President Joseph Kabila organized by the Catholic church on Sunday, a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country said.

Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016 has triggered a series of street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa. It has also emboldened armed rebel groups in different parts of the country.

A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitary troops fire volleys of tear gas and shoot into the air on Sunday outside the Notre Dame cathedral in the capital Kinshasa.

Florence Marchal, spokesman for the U.N. mission (MONUSCO), also said 57 people were wounded and dozens of arrests had been made across the country. As well as Kinshasa, protests erupted in the central Congolese diamond-mining town of Mbuji-Mayi, in the eastern cities of Goma, Lubumbashi and several other places.

“We haven’t yet established the nature or cause of the injuries,” Marchal added. A police spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

The instability has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease.

“I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights,” protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa.

“Kabila has done his two terms. He should leave now and give a chance to someone else”.

The chief of police for Kinshasa city General Sylvano Kasongo Kitenge had warned in a statement overnight that the protest was banned and that “no attempt to disturb public order will be tolerated anywhere in Kinshasa.”

Kasongo, surrounded by several armed police, visited the road leading to Notre Dame where a protest was happening, ordering everyone to go home, a Reuters witness saw.

“Mass is over, the priests should now go home, and everybody else should go home. If you refuse, we will use force and shoot tear gas, let that be very clear,” he told them.

The violence echoed that of New Year’s Eve, when Congolese forces killed at least seven people in the capital during a protest by Catholic activists..

Under a deal mediated between the church and Kabila’s opponents, the president was to step down at the end of last year, paving the way for an election early this year. But he reneged on the deal and the poll has been repeatedly delayed -- it is currently loosely scheduled for the end of 2018.

Diplomats, including the United States, British and Swiss embassies had all put out statements encouraging the Congolese to march to pressure Kabila to respect the deal.

“We applaud Congolese citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble peacefully in support of the full implementation of the [agreement],” the U.S. and British embassies said in a joint statement. “Those who do not protect these rights must be held accountable.”

The Roman Catholic Church has emerged as a harness for opposition to Kabila’s efforts to stay in power with no mandate, while his political opposition remains feeble and fragmented.

Kabila, who has been president since his father was killed in office in 2001, blames the electoral delays on the logistics of voter registration.
The Kabila government begins blocking internet access in the capital Kinshasa at midnight, after a Catholic lay group's call to march today, in defiance of a government ban on public demonstrations. A joint statement was released by the American and British embassies on Twitter the day prior, applauding "Congolese citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble peacefully in support of the full implementation" of the Sylvester agreements of December 2016. The statement also said that those who do not protect these fundamental human rights must be held accountable "at the highest level".