Democratic Republic of Congo minister: 12 dead in protests, disputes rights group toll

Violence in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, claimed 12 lives in three days of protests against President Joseph Kabila, the government spokesman said Thursday, dismissing a toll of 42 by a global rights body.
"We have 12 dead, including a policeman: three on the first day, eight on the second, and one yesterday," Lambert Mende told AFP, adding that the International Federation for Human Rights "is becoming more and more excessive" and was being "manipulated by a group of Congolese". The "police officer was killed by an unknown person", while private security guards shot 11 "rioters", he added.