A new United Nations report paints an ugly picture of the September violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo: more than 50 killings, disappeared bodies, and arbitrary arrests and detention.

Congolese demonstrators chant slogans during a march to press President Joseph Kabila to step down in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa, September 19, 2016. © 2016 Reuters

The preliminary report of the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) documented human rights violations committed in the capital, Kinshasa, between September 19 and 21, during protests against election delays. The office found that these violations were “a result of a disproportionate and excessive use of force, including lethal force, by the Congolese authorities.”

Here are some of their main findings:

•   More than 422 victims of human rights violations in Kinshasa by state agents.
•   At least 53 people killed, including seven women, two children, and four police agents – of whom 48 were killed by state actors; the perpetrators in the other cases were not identified. Among those killed by state actors, 38 were killed by gunfire, 7 were burned to death by Republican Guard soldiers (including during an attack against the opposition UDPS party headquarters), a woman was killed by machete by Republican Guard soldiers, and police beat a man to death and fatally stabbed another.
•   Bodies of victims, as well as several of the wounded, were reportedly taken away by the authorities, often rapidly and sometimes by force and against the will of the victims’ families.
•   143 people were injured, including 13 women and 11 children. UNJHRO received reports that some gunshot victims were thrown into the Ndjili River by the security forces.
•   At least 299 people were arbitrarily arrested and detained.
•   Eight journalists covering the events were harassed, robbed, beaten, and detained by the authorities for several hours before being released.
•   UNJHRO teams were denied access to detention facilities upon instructions from senior Ministry of Defense officials, and had difficulty accessing morgues. Security forces prevented two UN vehicles from reaching the location of demonstrations. A police agent shot tear gas at one UN vehicle, and a sniper on top of an anti-riot police truck shot twice at a UN vehicle but missed its target.
•   Authorities distributed machetes and money to approximately 100 young men, with a view to disrupting the demonstrations.
•   Five opposition party headquarters were attacked and set on fire. The attacks were either perpetrated by state agents directly, or state agents were present at the scene and did not intervene.
•   The National Operations Center overseeing the response by the security forces to the demonstrations reportedly authorized the use of force including firearms against demonstrators. Witnesses reported hearing the following order, given in the Lingala language via VHF radio: “They are determined, shoot!”
•   There were also many cases reported of violence by demonstrators, including the killings of four police agents. Demonstrators erected barricades, and threw stones during clashes with security forces. Demonstrators also destroyed and looted the headquarters of three political parties linked to the presidential majority, as well as public buildings and other facilities.

Human Rights Watch’s initial findings on the violence during the week of September 19 in Kinshasa are similar to those of the UN. A summary can be found here here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/10/13/eu-impose-targeted-sanctions-against-senior-officials-democratic-republic-congo.

A more detailed report from Human Rights Watch on these events is forthcoming.