Moise Katumbi barred from entering Congo
News & Trends •
congolese opposition leader moise katumbi was refused entry into congo via the countrys land border with zambia on friday when he tried to return from exile to submit his candidacy for decembers presidential election he said in a tweet1 the millionaire businessman and former governor of the copper-mining katanga region was sentenced to three years in prison the following month for real estate fraud. katumbi denies the charges and says they are aimed at preventing him from contesting the election on december 231 the regime has forbidden me from landing and barricaded the border katumbi tweeted. my crime wanting to enter my country and file my candidacy. in trying to block me they want to deny the rights of the congolese to a real election. i will fight1 footage from his campaign team sent to reuters tv showed him with a crowd of thousands of supporters at the border town of kasumbalesa on the zambian side1 his treatment contrasts markedly with that of kabilas other main rival former warlord and runner-up presidential candidate jean-pierre bemba who was allowed to land his plane and given police protection for his return to town1 both pose a real threat to kabila or his chosen successor in the upcoming election especially since the presidents popularity has waned over the years1 i hope for a unity of the opposition. i have started meeting with opposition leaders bemba told journalists in kinshasa on friday in an apparent attempt to galvanise kabilas opponents. the principle is how to choose the best candidate who could represent the opposition at the election1 in power since 2001 kabila has refused to step down since his mandate ran out in 2016. this has raised fears he will defy constitutional term limits and spark a violent backlash by the population and militia groups active in the countrys east1