The C64 opposition platform said it “unequivocally condemns” the death of Manassé Lomboto Bomegola, a senior member of the ADD-Congo party, who died during clashes surrounding the demonstration.
The march had been authorised by the authorities but was ultimately dispersed by police using tear gas after clashes broke out.
Speaking at a press conference in Kinshasa on September 17, Dieudonné Bolengetenge, secretary-general of the Ensemble pour la République party, accused members of the ruling UDPS party’s Force du Progrès militia, along with police and the national army, of being responsible for Lomboto Bomegola’s death.
Bolengetenge also accused President Félix Tshisekedi’s government of political and criminal responsibility, alleging that opponents were being targeted because of their political views.
“The C64 challenges the political and criminal responsibility of Mr Tshisekedi and his regime in the planning of the elimination of opponents because of their views,” he said.
The opposition platform also said demonstrators had been placed in an “ambush” despite assurances from city authorities that measures would be taken to ensure their safety.
The allegations made by Bolengetenge represent the position of the C64 opposition platform. The circumstances surrounding Lomboto Bomegola’s death and the opposition’s allegations of responsibility would require independent verification.
The demonstration comes amid continuing political tensions in the DRC, with opposition parties raising concerns over the treatment of political opponents and the country’s political future.
The C64 reiterated its opposition to any change to the Constitution that could allow a third presidential term and called for the constitutional transfer of power in 2028 to be respected.
‘Arbitrary’ arrests
Tshisekedi was elected in 2019 and again in 2023 by a wide margin, which left the opposition weakened. A senior figure in the C64 movement last month urged the president to give up his push to change the constitution to lift the two-term limit.
The move, approved by a parliament dominated by the ruling party, comes with much of the country riven by conflict, particularly in the east, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group seized swathes of territory last year.
The C64 group rejected Tshisekedi’s offer of national dialogue last month, accusing him of wanting to use it to embed his position, and instead called for Tuesday’s day of protest.
In Lubumbashi, a major mining centre in the southeast, activists defied a protest ban by local authorities, gathering in the city centre before police dispersed them with tear gas and warning shots. Several people were arrested by police, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.
“We were taken aback by the large deployment of the army and police to prevent this peaceful demonstration,” said Mohamed Eyenga, provincial coordinator of the Envol opposition party and a senior figure in the C64 coalition.
“Many of our activists were unfortunately and arbitrarily arrested,” he said. General Blaise Kilimbalimba, the provincial police commander, insisted no “peaceful” demonstrator had been arrested.
“The police have taken measures to allow every citizen to go about their activities freely,” he said. “The situation has been calm since this morning.”
In Mbandaka, capital of northwestern Equateur province, where authorities also banned protests, around 100 activists were dispersed by law enforcement officers brandishing weapons.
About 10 people were arrested, an AFP journalist on site said. Elsewhere in the vast country, security forces broke up smaller protests and made arrests in the eastern provinces of South Kivu and Tanganyika, according to local sources.