Democratic Republic of Congo: Military Arrests Youth Activists

For the immediate and unconditional release of Jean-Marie Kalonji and Sylva Kabanga Mbikayi!

Statement of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 03.08.2017, www.thecommunists.net

The Congolese military has detained the Coordinator of the youth group Quatrieme Voie/Il Est Temps, Jean-Marie Kalonji. When fellow attorney and Quatrieme Voie spokesperson, Sylva Kabanga Mbikayi went to see about his colleague, the military arrested him too. The two Quatrieme Voie leaders are currently being held by the Congolese armed forces at the Military Detection of Unpatriotic Activities (DEMIAP) without charge or cause.

These arrests are just another example for the thoroughly reactionary character of the Kabila regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo. President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power since 2001, is clinging to office in defiance of Congo's constitution as his constitutional term limit expired in December 2016. His regime bears a chief responsibility for civil wars and conflicts that killed over 5.4 million Congolese people and caused numerous mass rapes of women between 1998 and 2008.

Kabila unconstitutional attempt to stay in power provoked mass protests at the end of last year during which his repression forces killed over 200 demonstrators.

As a dictator serving the interests of the imperialist monopolies and their allied local capitalists, Kabila has received until now the direct or indirect support of various imperialist powers like France, the U.S. and China. Consecutive regimes have ensured that these old and new colonial powers can profitable exploit DRC which is one of the richest countries in resources on earth. Furthermore, the numerous dictators on the continent support him since they fear that Kabila's fall by a popular uprising could inspire the black workers and poor throughout Africa.

The Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT) demands the immediate and unconditional release of Jean-Marie Kalonji and Sylva Kabanga Mbikayi. We also call for the release of all other political prisoners in DRC.

We fully support the struggle of the Congolese workers, poor and youth for democracy and social justice. Historic experience has demonstrated that freedom and equality can only be secured if the workers, poor peasants and youth combine the overthrow of the reactionary regime with the expulsion of the imperialist monopolies and the Great Powers and the expropriation of the ruling capitalist class so that they create their own government which can open the road towards socialism.

International Secretariat of the RCIT

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For the RCIT analysis of the liberation in Black Africa, we refer readers to our numerous articles and documents accessed from the Africa and Middle East section of our website: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/. In particular we refer readers to the following documents:

RCIT: Theses on Capitalism and Class Struggle in Black Africa, 13 April 2017, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/africa-theses/

Platform of the Socialist League of Zimbabwe (Section of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency), https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/rcit-zimbabwe-platform/

RCIT: Zambia: Down with the State of Emergency! Everyone Out to the Streets to Fight for Democratic Rights and against the IMF-Imposed Austerity Attacks! 09.07.2017, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/zambia-state-of-emergency/

The Political Situation in Zambia and the Revolutionary Way Forward, Joint Statement of the Economic Liberation Association (Zambia) and the RCIT, 01.08.2017, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/political-situation-in-zambia/