Democratic Republic of Congo President Fèlix Tshisekedi has signed off an order to arrest former president Joseph Kabila and popular opposition leader Moise Katanga on false charges of terrorism.
Tshisekedi’s order is aimed at crippling any strong opposition ahead of the December 20, 2023 elections.
According to state sources, the presidency is aware that carrying out an arrest of Kabila and Katumbi will trigger countrywide protests with the most vicious expected in the south-east region of Katanga.
The alarming situation is being coordinated by an army section known as DEMIAP, (Division of Military, Anti-terrorist and Patriotic Investigations), and President Tshisekedi’s high ranking staff.
It’s DEMIAP agents who arrested close Katumbi allies including special advisor Salomon Kalonda Della, Frank Diongo and Mike Mukebayi all of whom are being held in prison on trumped up charges.
A commando unit composed of senior DEMIAP officers, security agents from the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) and other so called experts in the Congolese military have been dispatched to the province of Katanga with the aim of paralyzing the population.
Other military personnel have been sent to plant weapons of war at Kashamata, a farm owned by Kabila, as well as at Katumbi’s properties to justify their arrests.
A General Makombo of DEMIAP, the head of internal security of the ANR, as well as eleven other individuals labeled as “experts”
were seen aboard the Airbus A330 of the African Air Company (CAA) operating the Kinshasa-Lubumbashi route to carry out the operation.
Confidential documents shared and seen by DRC News Today show that the order to carry out the mission was signed by a special adviser (CNS) to President Tshisekedi on behalf of the Head State using the code name “Mission” as the subject.
Details on the other specific targets of this mission remain unclear, but internal sources have confirmed that Katumbi and Kabila are among the main political figures being targeted.
Political tension in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already reached its peak since the last presidential election, which saw Tshisekedi assume power in a disputed outcome widely seen to have been won by Martin Fayulu in 2018.
Supporters of Kabila and Katumbi, two prominent political figures, have become prime targets of Tshisekedi as he seeks to consolidate his grip on the presidency. International observers have called for caution and transparency in the critical times of election preparations.
Congo Intelligence attempted to contact the Congolese authorities for official comment, but no response on the plot has been provided.
There are fears Katanga, which is a stronghold for Katumbi and also the home region for Kabila, will experience untold bloodshed should Tshisekedi fail to handle the fragile political atmosphere carefully.
CREDIT: Additional reporting by Congo Intelligence
