Clashes erupt in Congo's capital as opposition rejects changes to presidential term limits

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Violent clashes erupted Friday in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, during a rally against a proposed constitutional change that opponents say could pave the way for President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term.

The demonstration, organized by the opposition coalition C64, was dispersed by police with tear gas after protesters clashed with pro-government supporters outside Parliament.

Congo is plagued by multiple crises, including an Ebola outbreak and an escalation of the decades-long conflict with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, one of more than 100 armed groups vying for control in the eastern provinces.

Tshisekedi, 62, has been in office since 2019, and is due to complete his second five-year term in 2028. He has said he would be willing to seek a third term if approved by voters in a referendum.

The Congolese Constitution bars any revision of presidential term limits. However, a bill under consideration in the National Assembly, a lower chamber, would allow the president to amend those provisions in the event of a “major dysfunction” that paralyzes state institutions, potentially following a referendum.

The country’s main opposition parties, which have been divided in recent years, joined forces in May under the banner of C64, or Coalition Article 64, to oppose what they describe as an attempt by Tshisekedi to remain in power. The coalition has called the proposed changes a “serious threat” to the country’s stability.

The rally on Friday descended into clashes between opposition supporters and pro-government activists before police intervened.

Among those injured was Martin Fayulu, runner-up in the 2018 presidential election and one of Congo’s most prominent opposition figures. A video posted on his official Facebook page showed Fayulu with blood visible around his eyes and on the collar of his white shirt as supporters helped him through a crowd.

AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Cars burn during a demonstration as Congo's opposition rejects a proposed constitutional change in Kinshasa, Congo, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ekutshu Yannick)

A protester sets a fire in the middle of the road during a demonstration as Congo's opposition rejects a proposed constitutional change in Kinshasa, Congo, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ekutshu Yannick)

Protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against a proposed constitutional change in Kinshasa, Congo, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ekutshu Yannick)

Police clash with protesters at a demonstration as Congo's opposition rejects a proposed constitutional change in Kinshasa, Congo, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ekutshu Yannick)

FILE - Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo speaks during the Homegoing Celebration of Life for the Rev. Jesse Jackson, March 7, 2026, at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)

BANGKOK (AP) — Oil prices climbed early Tuesday as fighting intensified in the Middle East, while Asian shares declined, dragged lower by losses for artificial-intelligence stocks.

The price of Brent crude climbed to just over $84 a barrel after soaring nearly 10% on Monday. U.S. benchmark crude was up 1.4% at $79.20 a barrel.

Oil prices are still below their wartime peak of nearly $120 a barrel, but uncertainty over the future stability of supplies deepened as the U.S. and Iran each asserted they controlled the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. share futures were down 0.3% as the U.S. launched more strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump said Washington was “reinstating” a blockade on Iran in the strait.

Fighting in the region has kept oil tankers from using the waterway to deliver crude to customers from the Persian Gulf, driving up fuel prices worldwide.

In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 1% to 66,574.96 and the Kospi in South Korea declined 3.2% to 6,589.37.

The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.8% to 3,884.32, even though the government reported that China's exports jumped 27% in June from a year earlier as adoption of artificial intelligence drove strong demand for computer chips and other technology.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.1% higher, to 24,230.46, while in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 8,767.00.

Monday on Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 0.8%, coming off its fourth winning week in the last five. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.6%.

Chip stocks like Micron Technology helped lead the way lower. Micron fell 4.4%, eating into what had been a stellar rise of 243.1% for the year so far.

Worries are rising that stock prices have shot too high and that the demand may not be sustainable if AI doesn’t deliver as much profit and productivity as expected.

Nvidia fell 3.5%. Because it’s the largest stock on Wall Street by value thanks to the euphoria around AI, it was the single heaviest weight on the S&P 500.

Much of Wall Street’s attention this week will be on profit reports from companies saying how much they earned during the spring. On Tuesday alone, Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo are all releasing their latest quarterly results.

Analysts are forecasting that companies in the S&P 500 index will deliver overall growth of 23.6% from a year earlier, according to FactSet. If they’re right, it would be the second straight quarter of growth better than 20%.

Companies across industries will need to deliver strong growth to justify the big moves their stock prices have made. Indexes are near records despite their sharp recent swings due to worries around AI stocks.

More costly oil would push inflation higher, potentially leading the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates. Higher rates can keep a lid on inflation, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for all kinds of investments.

In other dealings early Tuesday, the U.S. dollar slipped to 162.34 Japanese yen from 162.35 yen. The euro rose to $1.1391 from $1.1381.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Stan Choe contributed to this report.

Patrick McKeon works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

A screen shows the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 13, 2026. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)

A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)