[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"core\/picturefill,entity_embed\/caption,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307725__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"307725","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/307725","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307725__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_reI-6YIYy-k9pvxm-gaCRrn5cSrTZRtyAMrp4YXDUJw.css\u0022 \/\u003E\n"},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VkK39bvB4H6LLVemwPFz8QWcUMTFqZ3FFo_LBVv_4vs.js"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307725__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307725__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EAt least 27 people were killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, as supporters of Bundu dia Kongo (BDK), a political religious sect, took to the streets in Kinshasa and Kongo Central province.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32951\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708africa_drc_nemuandansemi.jpg?itok=8iX9ao8c 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708africa_drc_nemuandansemi.jpg?itok=RI9dImNl 850w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708africa_drc_nemuandansemi.jpg?itok=RI9dImNl\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u0022639\u0022 alt=\u0022Ne Muanda Nsemi, the leader of Bundu dia Kongo (BDK).\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewbox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=#sprite-expand\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003ENe Muanda Nsemi, the leader of Bundu dia Kongo (BDK).\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2015 Radio Okapi\/Ph. John Bompengo\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to witnesses, security forces fired live ammunition into crowds, hitting demonstrators and bystanders.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe demonstrators were ostensibly protesting President Joseph Kabila\u2019s refusal to step down at the end of his constitutionally mandated two-term limit. However, the political opposition and well-placed sources contend that the authorities allowed the protests with the aim of creating chaos and repression that would justify the imposition of further election delays.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EResidents from the area surrounding Kinshasa\u2019s central prison in Selembao neighborhood and others in Bumbu, Kimbaseke, Matete, Masina, N\u2019djili, Ngaliema, and Ngiri-Ngiri neighborhoods told Human Rights Watch they either heard gunshots or saw protesters marching through the streets beginning about 9 a.m. In Kongo Central, protests were held in the provincial capital, Matadi, as well as in Boma, Kimpese, Kinzau-Mvuete, Kisantu, Kwilu-Ngongo, Lukula, and Muanda.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EGroups of protesters wearing red bandanas and holding sticks and palm nut husks marched along the main roads of Kinshasa and towns in Kongo Central, while chanting slogans hostile to Kabila. According to a police \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/soniarolley\/status\/894559256539783169\u0022\u003Estatement\u003C\/a\u003E, \u201cassailants\u201d carried shotguns and crude weapons. Some of the protesters in Kinshasa held banners that read: \u201cCongo for Congolese, Rwanda for Rwandans,\u201d and \u201cHyppolite Kanambe alias Kabila and his brothers, get out!\u201d \u2013 a reference to allegations by some BDK members and others that Kabila is not of Congolese origin. Signs calling on \u201cKabila and Rwandans\u201d to leave Congo were also seen in Kongo Central, including in Boma, Kwilu-Ngongo, and Lukula. (Xenophobic messages that amount to incitement to violence or discrimination should be criminally prosecuted.)\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe protests appeared to have been prompted by an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.voaafrique.com\/a\/reapparu-dans-une-video-le-leader-de-bundu-dia-kongo-donne-un-ultimatum-a-kabila\/3918220.html\u0022\u003Eultimatum\u003C\/a\u003E issued by the BDK leader, Ne Muanda Nsemi, in late June. Nsemi, who had been arrested on March 3, 2017 and charged with incitement to tribal hatred and violence, and insulting the head of state, among other charges, escaped from Kinshasa\u2019s central prison during a massive prison break in May, and his whereabouts are unknown. In a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=i1-1VsDHEKk\u0022\u003Evideo message\u003C\/a\u003E shared on social media that appears to have been filmed on June 27, Nsemi called on \u201cthe Rwandans and President Kabila\u201d to leave Congo before August 7, threatening that his supporters would apply the \u201cdivine law\u201d of \u201can eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,\u201d if they failed to comply.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EHuman Rights Watch research found that at least 23 people were killed in Kinshasa during Monday\u2019s protests, including 11 BDK members and 10 apparent bystanders shot dead by security forces, and two police officers killed by the protesters. In Kongo Central, at least two BDK members were killed in Matadi, and one BDK member and a military police officer in Muanda. Human Rights Watch has received additional unverified reports of others killed in Kongo Central province and Kinshasa.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EA witness in Kinshasa said BDK members had encouraged people to follow them to \u201cchase\u201d Kabila from power, asking the men to put sand in their trousers\u2019 pockets and the women to put sand in their underwear, supposedly to make them invincible to bullets. While the protesters were marching in Selembao neighborhood, police fired in the air to disperse them. One of the protesters launched a palm nut shell, using a stick, at a police officer. The police officer was hit in the head and killed. Another witness in Kinshasa said military police officers shot dead four people in the March\u00e9 de la Libert\u00e9, a market in Masina neighborhood, soon after BDK members had marched through the market. The police first shot in the air to disperse demonstrators, and then soldiers arrived and fired at point-blank range into the crowd of market vendors and shoppers fleeing the commotion.\u00a0\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ESeveral groups of protesters were allowed to demonstrate without interference, accompanied by members of the Congolese security forces who made no effort to block or stop the protests, according to witnesses and photographs and video footage we reviewed. This was in stark contrast to other recent planned protests, including the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis#blog-307394\u0022\u003EJuly 31 nationwide protests\u003C\/a\u003E called for by a coalition of citizens movements and human rights organizations known as the Collective of Civil Society Actions (CASC), and supported by many opposition parties. In that instance, security forces deployed heavily in advance to prevent the protests from going forward, fired teargas and live bullets to disperse those who protested, and arrested at least 128 people across the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ESimilarly, in advance of the \u201c\u003Cem\u003Eville morte\u003C\/em\u003E,\u201d or general strike, called for on Tuesday and Wednesday by the Rassemblement opposition coalition, security forces deployed heavily in Congo\u2019s main cities from the early hours to try to deter anyone from protesting in the streets. The Congolese government even instructed telecommunications companies to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/soniarolley\/status\/894643302812839937\u0022\u003Erestrict\u003C\/a\u003E social media access, in an apparent effort to prevent people from sharing or posting photographs of the empty streets in Kinshasa and other towns where the \u003Cem\u003Eville morte\u003C\/em\u003E was respected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe unexpected willingness of the Congolese authorities not to prevent Monday\u2019s protests sparked allegations that the government sought to create a situation that would lead to even tighter restrictions on demonstrations and political space and further delays in the organization of elections. According to a statement by opposition leader and presidential aspirant \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/OlivierKamitatu\/status\/894628713773531136\u0022\u003EMo\u00efse Katumbi\u003C\/a\u003E\u2019s spokesperson, Monday\u2019s demonstrations and resulting violence was intended by the government to \u201ccreate chaos\u201d and \u201cimpose a state of emergency.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EAn individual close to the security forces told Human Rights Watch that the protests and attacks on Monday were \u201call theater; the goal is to create chaos everywhere.\u201d\u00a0He alleged, though we could not confirm, that soldiers were mixed in with real BDK supporters, and security forces had been instructed to give \u201cfree passage\u201d to demonstrators. He said that the authorities intended to use the pretext of the BDK movement \u201cto create a militia that the government can attack. What they did with the Kamuina Nsapu in the Kasais, now they\u2019ll do in [Kongo Central].\u201d He said that the \u201cpolice officers and soldiers who were killed or injured hadn\u2019t been informed of the operation in advance.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EIn an official \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/actualite.cd\/2017\/08\/09\/police-accuse-bdk-davoir-tente-coup-detat-lundi-7-aout-dernier\/\u0022\u003Eceremony\u003C\/a\u003E in Kinshasa on Wednesday with the ministers of defense, interior, and communications, and the head of the national intelligence agency (ANR), among others, the police presented 31 suspects from Monday\u2019s protests who they alleged had attempted a \u201c\u003Cem\u003Ecoup d\u2019\u00e9tat\u003C\/em\u003E.\u201d The police spokesperson also said that 19 people were killed during Monday\u2019s violence and seven others wounded.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EPrompt and impartial investigations are needed to determine who was responsible for Monday\u2019s loss of life. Violence by protesters or the excessive use of force by the security forces should not be tolerated, and those responsible should be appropriately held to account.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]