Almost 120 supporters of the Congolese opposition leader Martin Fayulu were arrested today in Kasenga, in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This has been heard from various sources of civil society. Fayulu went to the Constitutional Court to appeal against the result of the presidential election.

Fayulu took the second in the presidential election behind the other opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi, who was declared the winner according to the preliminary results of the election committee (CENI). But Fayulu spoke on Thursday of an “electoral coup” of the outgoing President Joseph Kabila with “complicity” of Tshisekedi. According to the Fayulu camp, he himself would be the just winner of the elections with 61 percent of the votes.

On the street

Fayulu’s statements drove his supporters into Kasenga and the police intervened, according to human rights activist William Mambwe. The number of arrested persons was confirmed by another source of civil society, who wished to remain anonymous.

“We demand the unconditional release of these 120 people,” explained Mambwe. The police declined to comment. Meanwhile, the protest happened in Kolwezi, 200 kilometres further to the west. The confrontations between supporters of Fayulu and Tshisekedi, lead to injuries and many were arrested, reported UN radio Okapi.