KINSHASA, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Christians took to the streets across Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday to protest violence in eastern regions, as church leaders accused the international community of hypocrisy over Rwanda’s alleged role in the fighting.
After Sunday services, churchgoers in the capital Kinshasa and other major cities heeded a call from the conference of Catholic bishops to march against the conflict with the M23 rebel group, which Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting.
“We say no to war, no to a divided Congo,” said Blaise Emmanuel, vicar at St. Elizabeth’s parish, who with other priests led a procession in Montgafula, one of the poorest communes in Kinshasa.
The mass protests were the most significant since an escalation in fighting in recent months between state forces and M23. The violence has displaced an estimated 390,000 people, according to U.N. agency OCHA.