A demonstration for the stepping down of the President of the Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila has seen Security forces murdering about seven people in a report by a UN peacekeepers.

According to the police, three people died, while two of such deaths are under investigations.

Some Church activists and members of the oppositions have shown support for the demonstration, with the claim that Mr Kabila was due to step down under a deal a year ago by the end of 2017.

However, a year after the end of his second term office, an election was expected to be held to replace him has been delayed to December 2018.

Catholic activists had called for protests after Sunday church services, but the Congolese authorities banned the demonstration.

Police used live ammunition and tear gas to prevent protesters from gathering at locations including churches.

Two men were shot dead outside a church in the capital Kinshasa, rights group Human Rights Watch said.

UN spokeswoman Florence Marchal said that in addition to the seven people shot dead in Kinshasa, another protester had been killed in the central city of Kananga,

More than 120 people had been arrested, she said.

She condemned the "use of force against peaceful demonstrators" and the "violent suppression of fundamental rights and freedoms by security forces".

Mr Kabila has been in power since 2001. He was supposed to step down after his second and final term came to an end in 2016 but the vote to replace him was not held.

The failure to organise the polls led to a wave of deadly demonstrations by opposition supporters. The UN says dozens of people have been killed during anti-government protests over the past year.

A deal to create a transitional government brokered by the Catholic church collapsed because the government and the opposition were unable to agree on the power-sharing mechanism.

Ghanaguardian.com