NAIROBI — At least six people were killed Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo during demonstrations across the country against delayed elections and the de facto continuation of Joseph Kabila’s presidency.

An additional 57 people were injured, and 111 were arrested across the country, ­according to Florence Marchal, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in Congo.

Djafari Akida, who witnessed the events in the capital, Kinshasa, said he had seen five bodies retrieved by police at the church of St. Gabriel de Yolo, near the airport, where United Nations peacekeepers were present.

He also said several churchgoers at the nearby parish of St. Joseph who had tried to join the demonstrations after Sunday Mass had been shot by police. Eight people were wounded and taken to a nearby medical facility, he said.

It was the second demonstration in three weeks against Kabila, whose second presidential term officially expired in December 2016. Nine people died, 98 were injured, and nearly 200 were arrested in similar demonstrations on Dec. 31, according to Marchal.

In early 2017, Catholic leaders brokered an agreement allowing the president to lead a transitional government until the end of that year, when he was to step down and elections were to be held.

The election never happened — a vote is now scheduled for the end of this year — and Kabila retains power, which most observers believe he will try to keep.

New York Times