Following an extraordinary session held in Kinshasa, the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has issued a stern warning regarding the increasing violence used against political opponents. The high-ranking prelates specifically highlighted a troubling alliance between the national police and a political militia known as the Force du Progrès.

According to the findings presented at the close of the summit, opposition demonstrations are being systematically dismantled through force. The Church noted that these operations are no longer carried out by official security forces alone, but in direct coordination with the Force du Progrès, a group identified as a partisan militia.

“Opposition rallies are being violently crushed by the national police acting in concert with a political party militia called the Force du Progrès,” the religious body stated.

Climate of fear and constitutional tension

The Secretary Executive of the conference, Monsignor Donatien Nshole, expressed deep concern over the political atmosphere currently gripping the RDC. He pointed to a rising tide of tension fueled by the ruling majority’s push to amend the 2006 Constitution. This campaign, which reportedly utilizes state resources, is allegedly creating a “climate of terror.”

The pressure is not only being felt by the opposition. Reports indicate that even within the ruling coalition, dissenting voices are being muzzled. Those who question the constitutional reforms are being forced into silence for fear of facing retaliation.

Recent clashes at the Palais du Peuple

The condemnation follows the events of June 12, when a sit-in organized by the C64 Coalition was forcibly dispersed. The protest was aimed at blocking a proposed referendum law introduced by Paul-Gaspard Ngondakoy, which has already received approval from the National Assembly.

During that demonstration near the Palais du Peuple, witnesses and human rights observers reported that police and members of the Force du Progrès—a group frequently associated with the UDPS—assaulted opposition leaders and participants. The crowd was eventually scattered using tear gas, marking another chapter in the tightening restrictions on public assembly in the capital.