More than 100,000 people marched through Uvira on Tuesday to denounce the war in eastern DR Congo and call for peace, Radio Okapi reported. The figure comes from South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi, who organised the march.
Marchers carried banners through the city's main streets. They condemned violence they blame on the Front pour la refondation de la nation (FRN). They accuse Rwanda of backing the group. Local sources told Radio Okapi that the march slowed business and daily life across the city.
Purusi led the procession from the Maison Orange to the Monument roundabout. Several participants called for concrete steps to restore security in conflict-hit areas.
One of them, Potien Musomerwa, a leader of the BRCP RDC party, said that it was time to fully apply UN Security Council resolutions on the security crisis in eastern Congo.
Addressing the crowd, Purusi urged people in occupied territories to "continue their resistance". He also said that the country's president was working to restore peace in areas hit by fighting.
Similar marches took place in Bunyakiri, Fizi and Baraka, according to Radio Okapi.