Eddy Kapend, a former Laurent Desire Kabila top military suspected of being part of group that killed DRC’S third president, has been appointed Brigadier General and regional commander of the arm in Katanga.
Kapend was jailed in 2001 and only released in 2021 by President Tshisekedi who pardoned him for Mzee’s murder.
Kapend has always denied involvement in the murder plot, and rights groups at the time criticised the trial.
The army reshuffle comes just over a week after the former inspector general of the police and army, John Numbi, launched a verbal attack on the president.
Numbi, who lives in exile in Zimbabwe, described Tshisekedi as “incompetent”, saying “the army and police were no longer bound by their duty to obey”.
However, he stopped short of calling for an insurrection.
Kapend has been assigned as commander of the 22nd military region in his home territory of Katanga, a strategic province just two months ahead of the elections.
Former president Joseph Kabila, presidential opponent Moïse Katumbi, and Numbi, also hail from the south-eastern region.
Tshisekedi has denied there was a political motivation for the move, saying Kapend’s appointment was based on his merits as a military officer and his loyalty to the supreme commander.
