Clashes erupted in Kinshasa on Tuesday as opposition supporters marching against a proposed constitutional change came under attack from what opposition leaders described as a pro-government militia, with police deploying tear gas and making arrests across several cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The protests were organised by the C64 coalition, a broad opposition alliance formed in recent months specifically to resist President Félix Tshisekedi's push to amend the constitution — a change that would allow him to stand for a third presidential term following a referendum. Tshisekedi, who was first elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2023, is constitutionally barred from seeking another term under the current framework. The ruling-party-dominated parliament has already approved a proposal to extend the presidential mandate, and elections are approximately two years away.

Tuesday's Kinshasa march had been officially authorised by city authorities, with a planned endpoint near the Palais du Peuple — the seat of parliament, which was holding the opening of its budget session. The procession initially proceeded calmly under police escort along Boulevard Lumumba before a series of detonations rang out near the headquarters of Tshisekedi's own party, the UDPS. Senior opposition figures present at the march — including Martin Fayulu, Jean-Marc Kabund and Delly Sessanga — accused the Forces du Progrès, a group they described as a militia close to the presidency, of attacking them while police stood by. Fayulu, president of the Ecidé party, called the incident a deliberate ambush orchestrated by the president. The government has not confirmed this account. In other cities, authorities had explicitly banned protests: in Lubumbashi, the DRC's main mining centre in the southeast, and in Mbandaka, capital of the northwestern Equateur province, police used tear gas and warning shots to disperse gatherings, and dozens of people were arrested. Opposition organisers said the arrests were arbitrary; local police commanders said only those disrupting public order had been detained.

This is not the first time the constitutional reform movement has turned violent. Authorities suppressed a similar rally in Kinshasa in July, in which the United Nations said at least one person was killed. The current political tensions unfold against a backdrop of broader instability: large parts of eastern DRC remain outside government control, where the M23 armed group, which has been described as backed by Rwanda, seized significant territory last year. Critics argue that pursuing a constitutional overhaul while the country is at war further deepens the crisis of governance. The C64 coalition says it will continue pressing for Tshisekedi to abandon the reform, and is demanding a full accounting of Tuesday's events.