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DRC: Katumbi fights 'mercenary recruitment' allegations

DRC: Katumbi fights 'mercenary recruitment' allegations

Democratic Republic Of Congo

An aspiring presidential candidate in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Moise Katumbi has expressed worry about what he describes as attacks by the government against him.

According to him, a pro-government television station, Tele 50, on Thursday accused him of recruiting mercenaries.

But the former governor of Katanga has dismissed the accusation.

“They call me names and say that I’m training mercenaries for a rebellion. Therefore I want to ask the international community, MONUSCO and the Congolese government, to form a team to search my premises to see if really Moise Katumbi has rebels,” he is quoted by RFI to have said.

De telles accusations sont graves. Ma porte est ouverte au gouvt #RDC, accompagné de la communauté internationale pic.twitter.com/7QxA9GuaKh

— Moise Katumbi (@moise_katumbi) April 29, 2016

He said recent events, including the detention of his former chief of staff and body guards, as well as the withdrawal of his security detail and the dispersal of a demonstration by his supporters are evident of the government’s fury against him.

RFI quoted a government spokesperson, Alain Atundu Liongo as saying: “If he (Katumbi) feels aggrieved, he should go to court”.

Katumbi is expected to lead the G7 opposition alliance into the county’s presidential election scheduled for November this year.

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