Image Source: RFI
Africa – Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo used tear gas and warning shots to disperse opposition protests in several cities this week, including the capital, Kinshasa, as well as Lubumbashi and Uvira.
The demonstrations, organised by the opposition C64 coalition, target proposed constitutional changes that critics say could allow President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term.
Congolese Solidarity Campaign representative Raphael Bahebwa said the unrest reflects a deeper despair among Congolese people, both at home and in the diaspora, rooted in decades of political instability stretching back to the assassination of independence leader Patrice Lumumba.
“We Congolese, we living without hope, especially we the ones in diaspora, because of what is happening in the DRC. The story is long, dating back to the assassination of Lumumba. We had a little bit of hope with Laurent Kabila, but he was assassinated, and the world is closing its eyes to what is happening,” he said.
Warning to Tshisekedi
Bahebwa said the campaign’s position is that Tshisekedi must respect the two-term limit already in the constitution, and warned that failing to do so would provoke a response from Congolese abroad.
His comments follow years of disputed political succession in the DRC, including the contested 2018 election, in which Martin Fayulu, now among the opposition figures leading resistance to the amendment, many observers saw as the rightful winner.
“Even as a Congolese Solidarity Campaign, we are not against Tshisekedi, but he must leave power. Otherwise we will act, we will act even in diaspora, we will act against that, because we know that everyone is coming and trying to steal from Congo, and they don’t really show that they are leaders who have to do much about the country,” he said.
Comparison with Zimbabwe
Bahebwa compared it to Zimbabwe, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa pushed through constitutional amendments earlier this year that could extend his rule to 2030, arguing no similar justification applies to Tshisekedi.
He pointed to unresolved conflict in the east, where Rwanda-backed forces control parts of North and South Kivu, and unmet campaign promises as driving public frustration.
“Congo does not belong to them, because they are maybe from one particular tribe, or any power they can use to remain in power. We don’t like that. He’s a Congolese. He must be fair. Second term finished. He must go out. This is what we are saying,” he said.
