Thousands of opposition supporters marched through Kinshasa on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, to denounce proposed constitutional reforms that critics say are designed to clear the way for President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term in office. A procession of roughly 5,000 people left the Échangeur de Limete after noon, moving along Boulevard Lumumba toward Boulevard Triomphal near the party headquarters of opposition leader Martin Fayulu. The march was timed deliberately to coincide with the opening of parliament’s September session, giving organizers a symbolic backdrop for their show of force.
The demonstration was organized by the C64 coalition, a broad alliance of opposition parties and civil society groups linked to former presidential candidates Martin Fayulu, Moïse Katumbi, and Delly Sesanga. It drew on frustrations that have built for months over the government’s legislative push to alter presidential term limits. Notably, the Senate has already adopted preliminary bills permitting constitutional revisions — a development civil society and opposition leaders warn could plunge the conflict-weary nation into a deeper political and institutional crisis.
Tuesday’s march followed a route negotiated in advance between organizers and provincial authorities, who agreed to avoid the Palais du Peuple, with police escorting the column as traffic was disrupted along parts of the route. Despite the coordination, security forces still deployed tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters, underscoring the escalating national tension over the ruling party’s manoeuvres on term limits.
The Kinshasa rally was part of a coordinated, nationwide campaign rather than an isolated event. Police dispersed opposition protests in several cities across the DRC that same day, with witnesses in the capital reporting both tear gas and warning shots.
This was not the first time such marches have turned volatile. A previous C64-organized protest in Kinshasa on June 12, 2026, was violently dispersed by security forces after clashes broke out between opposition and pro-government activists outside parliament. That earlier demonstration left a lasting mark on the opposition’s leadership: Martin Fayulu was wounded during the June 13 unrest reported by international media. Tuesday’s more tightly coordinated march suggests both sides sought to avoid a repeat of that violence, even as underlying tensions persist.
The government has tried to project an image of dialogue even as it presses ahead with the reforms. The September protests came roughly three weeks after Tshisekedi announced plans for a national dialogue bringing together opposition parties, civil society groups, and religious leaders — though the framework notably excludes AFC/M23 forces controlling parts of eastern DRC. For the opposition, that gesture has done little to quiet suspicions that the third-term push is deliberate, and further demonstrations appear likely as the parliamentary debate over the reforms continues.
