By EDDY ISANGO
Associated Press Writer
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - The official death toll from street riots last week following Congo's heated gubernatorial elections is 97, according to Congo's interior minister.
Human rights groups had estimated Friday that 100 people had died in the clashes after rioters allied with former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba took to the streets to protest the election results, calling them fraudulent.
Interior Minister Denis Kalume said Saturday that a total of 87 civilians had been killed - 37 in the town of Moanda, 26 in Boma, 16 in Matadi and eight in Songololo.
In addition, 10 security officers were killed - six policemen and four military officers, Kalume said.
Bemba's political allies failed to win a majority in the Jan. 27 elections, winning only one of Congo's 11 gubernatorial races. Bemba himself was elected senator after coming in second in last year's presidential election.
Bemba's militia initially refused to accept those election results, which gave victory to President Joseph Kabila, and they clashed with government forces.
The regional elections appear to have some of the same dynamic. A group called Bundu Dia Kongo, which is allied with Bemba, led last week's riots and called the victory by Kabila's party unfounded. Kabila supporters won nine of the 11 governor's races.
``Those who commanded these acts of violence will be brought to justice,'' Jacques Mbadu, the governor of Bas-Congo where the majority of the violence occurred, told state TV.
