The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) [official website] on Monday denounced [press release] the arrest of 30 opposition party members as part of a crackdown by President Joseph Kabila’s [BBC profile] government.

The men who were arrested belonged to opposition group, Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social (UDPS). It has been reported that the meeting of the group was surrounded by police and military forces, leading to the subsequent arrests.

Maman Sidikou, the head of MONUSCO, responded to the arrests stating, “I urge the Congolese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release those arbitrarily arrested yesterday in Lubumbashi”. Sidikou further “wish[ed] to remind the Congolese authorities of their obligations to respect the fundamental freedoms and civil and political rights of all persons, in accordance with the Constitution and the international obligations of the DRC.”