Congo's top Catholic slams state's "barbarism" after deadly protests
None
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Congo on Tuesday condemned a crackdown on protests against President Joseph Kabila as "barbarism", escalating a confrontation between the government and one of the country's most powerful institutions.
Security forces in Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least seven people in the capital, Kinshasa, on Sunday during demonstrations that Catholic activists organised to protest Kabila's refusal to step down from office, according to the United Nations.
Police spokesman Pierrot Mwanamputu, however, said on Tuesday that five people, including one police officer, had died in Sunday's violence and that the police had acted justifiably in each case against militants and gangsters.
In a rare appearance before the media, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo, wearing a red prayer cap and gold cross, accused security forces of opening fire on peaceful protesters and desecrating places of worship.
"We can only denounce, condemn and stigmatise the actions of the supposedly valiant men in uniform, which are, unfortunately, nothing more, nothing less than barbarism," Monsengwo told reporters in the capital Kinshasa.
"How can we trust leaders incapable of protecting the population, of guaranteeing peace, justice and love of people?" he said.
