DRC: Tshisekedi's body to be repatriated from Belgium

The body of the late Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who died on 1 February in Belgium will be repatriated to the Democratic Republic of Congo on March 11, according to his family.

After lengthy discussions with the government, his nuclear family and his party, it was agreed that the burial will take place at the Gombe cemetery in Kinshasa, where a mausoleum will also be erected.

However, vagueness persists surrounding the fallen politician’s funeral who died aged 84 years. His family claims not to have “all the details” for the time being, while the government claims to have received no formal notification on the technical details of the funeral.

Tshisekedi’s death has revived political tensions in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Tensions that arise from President Joseph Kabila’s retention of power beyond the end of his term in December and the holding of the presidential elections in late 2017.