One dead and several injured during protest by the C64 opposition coalition.
Once again, President Tshisekedi has resorted to the UDPS militia 'Force du Progrès' composed largely of members of his own tribe to crack down on the protest and attack opponents with machetes.
On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, several protest marches took place in Kinshasa and various provincial cities against the proposed constitutional overhaul championed by President Félix Tshisekedi.
Police violently cracked down on the demonstrations. In Kinshasa, for instance, the "Force du Progrès" a militia loyal to the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party disrupted the protesters' advance near 10th Street in Limete using machetes and stones.
Several injuries have been reported, alongside a fatality: Manassé Lomboto, one of the security officers guarding opposition figure Prince Epenge.
This UDPS militia has a long-standing history of violence in Kinshasa, where it extorts taxes and regularly assaults and intimidates political opponents and civil society actors hostile to the regime.
The 'Force for Progress' militia is financed and equipped by Félix Tshisekedi himself via Augustin Kabuya, the party's secretary-general, and is predominantly composed of young men originating from his own Luba tribe in Kasaï.
In Katanga, the army, police, and the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) have carried out multiple arrests.
It is worth noting that Katanga is a region of dual strategic importance for Félix Tshisekedi: it features a population hostile to his regime and possesses a wealth of mineral resources vital for his personal enrichment and for financing the war against the AFC/M23, a Congolese politico-military movement.
Comments
Join in — no account needed.
No one has replied yet. Start the conversation.