Fatalities reported as DRC president fails to step down

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Security forces have reportedly shot dead several protesters Tuesday who were protesting DRC President Joseph Kabila's failure to step down after his mandate expired overnight.

Gunfire was heard in several districts of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least two people were reportedly killed according to Human Rights Watch. President Joseph Kabila refused to step down after his mandate ended stating that the mechanisms were not in place for a fair and balanced election in the country.

"Security forces have responded disproportionately in many cases," Ida Sawyer, the direct of Human Rights Watch for Central Africa, told reporters.
Scattered protests started on Tuesday but Kinshasa's normally busy boulevards were mostly deserted as pockets of protesting youths were dispersed by volleys of teargas.

"We are reviewing allegations of up to 20 civilians killed, but it (the information) is pretty solid," the UN human rights director for Congo, Jose Maria Arana told Reuters.

"I am gravely concerned by the arrests of those who seek to express their political views," said Maman Sambo Sidikou, who heads the UN mission in Congo (MONUSCO).
In Lubumbashi, a city in the heart of Congo's richest copper mining area, police reportedly fired live bullets to prevent demonstrations.