A Call by Maître RAMAZANI SHABANI Nuur

The brutal repression of the peaceful opposition demonstration on June 12, 2026, confirms what we have been denouncing for a long time: our country is dangerously drifting away from the rule of law and sinking deeper into arbitrariness and governance by force.

What happened today is not a mere political incident. It is a serious violation of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Unarmed citizens who came to peacefully express their opinions were prevented from demonstrating, violently dispersed, and subjected to unacceptable acts of brutality.

Those in power appear to have chosen repression over dialogue, intimidation over democracy, and force over the rule of law.

Even more alarming is the fact that this authoritarian drift is taking place in a context where a project to amend the Constitution of February 18, 2006, with the apparent objective of keeping the current President in power beyond his constitutional term, is steadily advancing. The adoption of the referendum law—containing provisions that are clearly unconstitutional—has paved the way for this agenda and raises serious concerns regarding respect for the constitutional order.

Today, a message has been sent to the entire nation: anyone who dares to challenge those in power risks repression. This is not the logic of a democracy. It is the logic of fear and tyranny.

Yet our Constitution does not call upon us to submit to fear. On the contrary, it imposes upon us a historic responsibility. Article 64 clearly states that every Congolese citizen has the duty to resist any seizure or exercise of power that violates the Constitution.

While freedoms continue to erode, the real concerns of our people remain unanswered: persistent insecurity in the East, massacres of civilian populations, massive youth unemployment, endemic corruption, embezzlement of public funds, collapsing infrastructure, and the growing poverty of Congolese families.

I therefore make a solemn appeal to the Congolese youth.

Do not allow anyone to convince you that your future must be sacrificed for the benefit of a privileged few.

Do not allow anyone to make you believe that fear is your destiny.

Do not allow anyone to deprive you of your right to dream of a free, just, and prosperous Congo.

Stand up. Mobilize yourselves. Make your voices heard through every lawful means available. Defend your rights, defend your Constitution, and defend your future.

No nation has ever liberated itself through resignation. Every great democratic achievement has been won by citizens who refused to remain silent in the face of injustice.

The time has come for the Congolese youth to fully embrace their historic responsibility.

Long live democracy.

Long live freedom.

Long live the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Maître RAMAZANI SHABANI Nuur

High Representative of the Party