DR Congo's veteran opposition chief will be buried at party's headquarters

The body of veteran Congolese opposition leader, Etienne Tshisekedi, is expected back in the country on May 12.

According to reports, when his remains arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) he is to be buried at the headquarters of the party he led till his demise.

Family and members of the party had their way with the burial at the UDPS offices in Kinshasa. Authorities in the capital had proposed that he be buried at the Gombe cemetery in the city centre instead.

Initial information stated that the return of his remains was scheduled for March 11, it followed a call for an autopsy into the cause of death by his family.

The former President of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) left the country for medical care in Belgium, he died on February 1 in Brussels.

He had just been appointed president of the national council to follow-up on the political agreement that was supposed to help the DRC come out of political crisis. The deal was brokered on the 31st December, 2016 by the Catholic Church.

His death has thrown the deal into a state of uncertainty. President Kabila has since appointed a new Prime Minister but has yet to announce if polls will hold this year as per the terms of the deal.