Congolese opposition leader Delly Sesanga gets passport back after seizure

Delly Sesanga, president of the ENVOL party and member of the C64 opposition coalition in the Democratic Republic of Congo, had his passport confiscated by the Direction Générale des Migrations (DGM) at N’djili International Airport on 28 June 2026 while he was preparing to travel to Europe for medical treatment. The seizure was linked to a pending judicial inquiry by the Court of Cassation, which Sesanga denied receiving any formal summons.

On 3 July 2026, after personal intervention by Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, the passport was returned, a development announced on Facebook by party member Len’s Omelonga. The episode has intensified political tensions in the DRC, occurring alongside recent opposition sit‑ins at the Palais du peuple that resulted in casualties and damage, and ongoing debate over a proposed constitutional revision opposed by the C64 coalition. Authorities have not provided official reasons for either the confiscation or the restitution, leaving many questions unanswered.

Sesanga described the seizure as illegal and said the return restored his rights, while observers continue to scrutinise the timing of the events amid an already volatile political climate.