Congolese authorities are demolishing makeshift stalls crowding downtown streets in the capital Kinshasa ahead of Pope Francis' four-day visit which starts Jan. 31. But traders say the sanitary police involved in the facelift are going too far
Pope Francis arrives at a meeting with members of The Pope John XXIII Community Association at the Vatican, January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Asked for comment on the evictions of traders, the Apostolic Nunciature, Vatican's diplomatic representation in Kinshasa, told Reuters in a text message that it was not aware of the clean-up operations and had no part in them. Other sellers like Jean Mbuyu said they had lost everything because they had no prior warning of the clean-up.
"We knew this operation was to clean up Lumumba Boulevard ahead of the Pope's visit that we are all waiting for," said Jesus, a hardware shop owner who gave only his first name.
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