In the DRC, uniforms will be checked to avoid unrest

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, certain organizations linked to political parties make use of the effects of the police or the army, berets, belts or military boots. ALEXIS HUGUET / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

The government of Kinshasa decides to put order in the access to the uniforms of the police force and the army. A decision announced this Tuesday evening March 31 to put an end to the confusion which can exist today between the forces of defense and the guards and other guards. A confusion which was revealed again these last days during fatal collisions.

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For the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the Interior, the uniform of the guards must be different from those of the police and the army. Gilbert Kankonde also prohibits the distribution of military and police effects to those who are not entitled to them.

According to several observers, certain organizations linked to political parties make use of these effects: red berets, belts and military boots. This often creates confusion, especially during crowd protests.

This was the case Monday, March 30 in Kinshasa when the gathering of more than a hundred members of the Bundu-dia-Kongo sect was dispersed. Among the followers who challenged the ban on assembly, as part of the fight against the coronavirus, some wore red berets and other distinctive signs of the police, which created confusion.

Some militiamen with weapons of war

Last weekend, in some towns and localities of ex-Katanga, the Bakata Katanga militia attempted several incursions. There, in addition to military uniforms, some militiamen carried weapons of war.

From now on, the police and military personnel trying to sell their belongings to improve the ordinary will be punished in light of the government order announced on Tuesday.

► Read also: DRC: clashes with the Bundu dia Kongo sect in the background of the fight against the coronavirus

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