Forty people have died in protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo against President Joseph Kabila, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday, accusing security forces of using excessive force and then trying to remove evidence.

The number of people who have died in DR Congo over the past week in demonstrations against a bill that could extend Kabila’s time in power is contested, with the government saying the protests had left 12 dead and a global human rights organisation saying 42 had died.

HRW said in a statement on Saturday that it has confirmed 36 dead in protests in the capital Kinshasa, 21 of whom were fatally shot by security forces, and four dead in the eastern city of Goma.