DRC: Further protests possible over passport regulations Sep. 30 /update 1

Event

The LUCHA (Fight for Change) civic group threatened to call for additional protests on Saturday September 30, if the government does not remove new regulations on passports for Congolese citizens. The group is demanding that the government honors its December 2015 proclamation, in which it declared that all non-biometric Congolese passports would be valid through their expiration dates. The statement threatening to call for further protests on September 30 was issued following a sit-in held by the group near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kinshasa on Monday, September 25.

Context

The government announced new regulations that will require all Congolese citizens to travel on new biometric passports, costing USD 185. The passports, introduced in 2015, are some of the world's most expensive. There is significant controversy about where the profits go, with apparent links to President Joseph Kabila's family. All non-biometric Congolese passports will cease to be valid from October 16.

Advice

Individuals present in the DRC are advised to monitor the situation, maintain a high degree of situational awareness, and avoid all public gatherings due to the risk of associated violence.

More generally, a number of Western governments advise their citizens against travel to the east and northeast of the country for various security reasons.​