Repression of the Congolese opposition: a leadership in danger
The peaceful march organized by the Congolese opposition in Kinshasa on Saturday May 20, 2023 was violently repressed by the police and the army, who demonstrated an abusive and disproportionate use of force. According to Franck Diongo, president of the political party Mouvement Lumumbiste Progressiste (MLP), this repression was reinforced by the attack on opposition activists by the Force du Progrès, a structure belonging to the Union for Democracy and Social Progress ( UDPS), ruling party led by Félix Tshisekedi and biological son of Étienne Tshisekedi.
This violent crackdown provoked international outrage and raises questions about the fragility of the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The provisional report drawn up by the police of the city of Kinshasa mentions 3 police officers arrested, 13 injured including four civilians, a ransacked police sub-station, two dead, seven people missing, and several motorcycles of militants torn by elements of the Force of Progress.
For Franck Diongo, it is inconceivable that the President of the Republic maintains a militia aimed at attacking the opposition. He also called on President Tshisekedi to dissolve the Force du Progrès to avoid excesses. The latter is meanwhile urged to get back on the right path, because the people who led to the downfall of Mobutu and Kabila also have the potential to lead to his downfall.
This excessive use of force is denounced by Denis Mukwege, Congolese Nobel Peace Prize winner, who denounces dictatorial acts. The DRC is in the grip of a dictatorial drift, which raises concerns about the fragility of the Congolese political situation.
This violent repression is a response to the opposition movement, which demands the defense of democratic freedoms in the country. The DRC must return to the path of reconciliation, and guarantee the democratic freedoms of its citizens, otherwise the leadership of Félix Tshisekedi could be called into question.