In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) there are increasing protests against a controversial bill on “Congoleseness”.
This proposed law, known as the “Tshiani law”, is named relatively after its initiator Noël Tshiani, who was a candidate in the 2018 presidential elections.
This bill, tabled in the National Assembly in July 2021, aims to reserve the highest offices of the State to Congolese born of Congolese father and mother.
The debate on this text, considered “dangerous” by its detractors, resurfaced after the announcement in March that it would be included in the program for the current parliamentary session.
While expressing their opposition to this “discriminatory law”, members of the Association des métis au Congo (Asmeco) demonstrated in front of the Parliament building against this law.
Asmeco urges the parliament to reject this law which, according to the association, aims to harm a category of Congolese and undermines cohesion among the Congolese.
This association, created in 2007, brings together Congolese born of Congolese and foreign parents.
Several demonstrations have been organized against this law by political parties and associations.
If this law were adopted, the presidential candidate scheduled for December, Moïse Katumbi, would be excluded, given that his father was Italian.