At the close of its extraordinary session on Saturday, June 20 in Kinshasa, the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) called out the alliance between the national police and the “Force du progrès” as the driving force behind the violent crackdown on opposition demonstrations. The protests are aimed at blocking the proposed constitutional change.

“The opposition rallies are being brutally suppressed by the police, working hand-in-hand with a political party militia known as the Force du progrès,” CENCO stated.

Speaking to reporters, the executive secretary of the Catholic bishops’ organization, Monsignor Donatien Nshole, also pointed to a worrying trend: even voices within the ruling majority that speak out against the constitutional reform initiative are being muzzled.

“Meanwhile, we see with deep concern a growing tension fueled by the ruling majority’s campaign to revise the Constitution of February 18, 2006. This campaign, which uses state resources, is being carried out in an atmosphere of intimidation. Dissenting voices within the majority itself are forced into silence for fear of reprisals,” the declaration reads.

The condemnation follows the brutal dispersal of a sit-in organized by the C64 coalition on Friday, June 12. The protest was meant to challenge a referendum bill introduced by national deputy Paul-Gaspard Ngondakoy, which had already been approved by the National Assembly. Several national and international human rights organizations accused the police and the Force du progrès—a youth group linked to the UDPS—of assaulting opposition leaders and demonstrators. The crowd was broken up with tear gas near the Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.