World Bulletin / News Desk

Congolese security forces fired tear gas to break up a Catholic mass on Sunday and arrested Catholic altar boys who were protesting against President Joseph Kabila, AFP reporters saw.

The protesters were demanding that Kabila promise he will not seek to further extend his time in power in Democratic Republic of Congo, a mostly Catholic former Belgian colony.

Kabila has been in power since 2001. Elections to replace him have been delayed and are currently set for December 2018.

Impatience boiled over on Sunday, with all the vast central African country's main opposition and civil society groups joining in the call for peaceful protests.