A la Une

Félix Tshisekedi’s power grab threatens democratic future of DRC

By nigerreport / August 6, 2026

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the political trajectory of the current regime leaves no room for doubt. A recent constitutional court ruling has handed Félix Tshisekedi a powerful institutional tool: the ability to bypass the two-term limit by establishing an entirely new Republic. Under the guise of “modernizing” outdated legal frameworks, the government is systematically consolidating control over state institutions and steering the nation toward authoritarian drift.

Simultaneously, dissenting voices are being systematically silenced. Peaceful opposition protests face brutal police crackdowns, while arbitrary arrests of political figures and activists escalate. Even the unequivocal rejection voiced by the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO) is dismissed with disdain by the administration.

As Félix Tshisekedi maneuvers to secure a third term, international partners in Kinshasa have adopted a deafening silence, prioritizing short-term security interests over the democratic aspirations of the Congolese people.

The muted response from global actors — from Washington to Paris and Brussels — is striking. This inaction starkly contrasts with the swift condemnations issued against constitutional coups and revisions in other African nations.

International complicity in constitutional subversion

Western capitals justify their inaction by citing the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, where M23 rebels continue their insurgency. Viewing Félix Tshisekedi as a fragile bulwark against regional collapse, these governments overlook his authoritarian excesses in exchange for strategic cooperation and access to critical minerals essential for global energy transitions.

This calculation represents a historic misjudgment. Pushing ahead with a constitutional referendum while swathes of eastern provinces remain outside state control disenfranchises millions of Congolese citizens. Conducting elections in a warzone risks cementing the de facto partition of the DRC.

Erosion of democratic safeguards

The refusal of the United Nations, European Union, and African Union to issue strong diplomatic condemnations against Félix Tshisekedi’s third-term ambitions abandons the Congolese people to tyranny. Their silence sends a dangerous message: democratic norms may be violated when a regime aligns with short-term geopolitical interests.

Civil society and religious leaders sound alarm

Civil society organizations and both Catholic and Protestant churches have repeatedly sounded the alarm. Their warnings go unheeded. The National Episcopal Conference of the Congo’s explicit rejection of the constitutional revisions has been ignored, while peaceful protesters face violent repression. Arbitrary detentions of activists, journalists, and opposition figures continue unabated.

A nation at the crossroads

For the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FDLC), the Congolese people cannot be held hostage to one man’s ambition or the cynicism of imperialist foreign partners. If the international community persists in ignoring the warnings of the Congolese people and the urgent appeals from religious leaders, it will share responsibility for the political instability and potential Sudanization of DRC. The time to act is now: enforce constitutional limits, halt this disguised dictatorial transition, and restore faith in democratic governance.

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