Five DR Congo students shot in clashes with police

Five students were shot and seriously hurt and 18 others injured Wednesday during clashes with police in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa during protests over tuition fees, a doctor said. The protests at the Higher Institute of Applied Technology (ISTA) university came after administrators decided to alter the exchange rate applied to student fee payments, significantly increasing costs - a decision that has now been reversed.
"We received 23 injured students of whom five had serious gunshot wounds and were transferred to the Kokolo military hospital," said a doctor at the university's medical centre. An AFP correspondent saw seven students - including a woman who had lost consciousness - under observation at the university medical centre. More than 100 police officers surrounded the university site and fired teargas at classrooms. "We are protesting against the application of an increased (exchange) rate decided by the academic authorities," said Patrick Makonzo, vice-president of ISTA's student union.