Police crack down on protests against constitutional change in DR Congo

Police in the Democratic Republic of the Congo fired tear gas at protesters in the capital, Kinshasa, as nationwide demonstrations against proposed constitutional changes turned tense on Tuesday. The protests were organised by the C64 opposition coalition and also took place in Lubumbashi and Uvira. Authorities had imposed restrictions, but crowds still gathered in several cities.

Sponsored

At least 10 people were arrested during the confrontations, according to the supplied report. Mohamed Eyenga of the Envol opposition party, a senior figure in the C64 coalition, said many activists had been arrested and described the deployment of police and army personnel as unusually large. The provincial police commander, General Blaise Kilimbalimba, rejected the claim that peaceful demonstrators had been arrested.

The protests centre on a proposal for constitutional change that critics say could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to seek a third term in office. Congo's constitution currently limits presidents to two five-year terms. Parliament adopted a bill in June allowing constitutional changes to be put to a referendum, and members of Tshisekedi's coalition have backed changes that would let him remain in power.

The unrest comes at a sensitive moment for the country, which is also facing a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak and continuing conflict in the east. That combination raises the political and humanitarian stakes of the demonstrations, especially in a country where public trust in institutions has often been strained by prolonged insecurity. Lubumbashi, one of the cities where protests were reported, is a major mining centre, underlining the potential economic significance of wider instability.

Sponsored

The constitutional debate has already drawn criticism from opposition parties and the powerful Catholic Church. It also follows Tshisekedi's announcement three weeks earlier of plans for a national dialogue involving opposition parties, civil society groups and religious leaders. However, that discussion would exclude the M23 and other rebel groups controlling parts of eastern DRC, where fighting has persisted for decades and flared again in 2024.

What remains unclear is how far the authorities will go in enforcing restrictions on further demonstrations and whether the constitutional proposal will move towards a referendum. It is also not clear how the protests will affect the wider political dialogue or the government's handling of the Ebola outbreak and eastern conflict. For now, the key issues to watch are the response of security forces, any further arrests, and whether opposition groups can sustain nationwide mobilisation.

#DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo #Kinshasa #constitutionalchange #protests #FelixTshisekedi