Etienne Tshisekedi’s casket is on public display in Kinshaa
KINSHASA, June 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) —After a two-year delay, the body of the father of Democratic Republic of Congo’s president is now lying in state in his home country.
Thousands have gathered in a stadium to pay their respects to veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.
Tshisekedi died in Belgium in February 2017, aged 84, but his body stayed there because of a row with former President Joseph Kabila.
The deadlock ended when his son, Félix, became president last year.
The Martyrs’ Stadium in Kinshasa erupted in cheers on Friday afternoon as the casket containing Etienne Tshisikedi’s remains entered.
Supporters of Etienne Tshisekedi screamed and blew whistles in the 80,000-capacity arena. The presidents of Rwanda and Angola were among the dignitaries present.
The campaign to bury Tshisekedi’s remains in his home country faced obstacles from President Félix Tshisekedi’s predecessor, Joseph Kabila.
Last-minute delays also hampered the body’s journey from Brussels to DR Congo capital city, Kinshasa.
Belgian news agency Belga said organisers had initially planned to rent an Airbus A330 with enough space for the coffin and 270 passengers, including veteran members of Tshisekedi’s party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS).
A government official told AFP news agency this was cancelled due to “issues over the organisation of the flight”.
A smaller private jet flew later with the body on board and 10 members of Tshisekedi’s family, leaving dozens of others stranded in Belgium. The plane was reportedly lent by President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo.
On Thursday evening, the plane touched down in Kinshasa airport and was greeted by a delegation led by President Félix Tshisekedi.
His body was taken away on a hearse decorated with national colours, with several thousand onlookers waiting outside the airport.
A state funeral will take place on Saturday in the town of Nsele, east of Kinshasa. Six African heads of state are expected to attend, including those of Angola, Rwanda and Congo-Brazzaville.
Tshisekedi spent decades in politics but failed in several attempts to become president.
He boycotted DR Congo’s elections in 2006, alleging vote fraud, and was beaten in a 2011 race marked by allegations of widespread voting irregularities.
Félix Tshisekedi won a bitterly contested election last year. It marked the first peaceful transition of power since DR Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960. — NNN-AGENCIES
