AFRICA/DR CONGO - "There are no mercenaries in my diocese", said the Bishop of Kilwa-Kasenga

Thursday, 12 May 2016 elections   armed groups   bishops  

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "There is no training camp or any mercenary in the territory of the Diocese of Kasenga", says the Bishop of Kilwa-Kasenga, Fulgence Muteba Mugalu, in the former province of Katanga, in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in denying the accusations of the Congolese justice according to which the former governor of Katanga and the main opposition candidate of the presidential elections, Moïse Katumbi, recruit mercenaries to destabilize the Country (see Fides 10/05/2016).
"The allegations about the presence of mercenaries in my diocese is a coarse statement" said Mgr. Muteba in a television interview.
In another interview, the text of which was sent to Agenzia Fides, the Bishop of Kilwa-Kasenga states that "as far as I know, there are no foreigners in Pweto, or in Kilwa and Kashobwe. The only foreigners I see, are forest operators that devastate our forest".
"Every time there is a security problem, we report it to those who know the law" continued Mgr. Muteba. "We have so many soldiers scattered everywhere and we have never heard of a clash among our soldiers and suspected militants. It is all invented", he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court ruled that outgoing President, Joseph Kabila will remain in office also beyond the expiration of his term, on December 19 if the elections were to be postponed. The date of the presidential elections has not yet been established and the opposition fears that Kabila can prolong his mandate well beyond the expiration date. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 12/05/2016)


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