BREAKING: Former Transport Minister Shot Dead, Presidency Reacts (DETAILS)

BREAKING: Former Transport Minister Shot Dead, Presidency Reacts (DETAILS)

Officials have confirmed the shooting death of Cherubin Okende, a spokesperson for one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) main opposition parties.

The incident has heightened tensions in the country ahead of the national elections scheduled for December. A video shared on social media showed Okende’s bullet-ridden body inside his car in the capital city of Kinshasa.

Okende, a former transport minister and member of parliament, belonged to the party of opposition politician Moise Katumbi, who is expected to participate in the upcoming presidential election.

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Moise Katumbi, speaking to French radio broadcaster RFI, referred to the incident as a “political assassination.” He expressed concern about attempts to silence the opposition and called for an independent investigation into what he described as a heinous crime. According to Katumbi’s party, Ensemble pour la Republique, Okende was abducted from the parking lot of the Constitutional Court in Kinshasa. A source close to Okende stated that the politician had just delivered a letter in response to a court summons. Later, Okende’s body was discovered in his car on a major road in the capital.

The presidency of the DRC described Okende’s death as a tragic event and called for a thorough investigation to uncover the truth and hold the responsible parties accountable. Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya expressed shock at the assassination and announced that an investigation had been ordered.

Cherubin Okende had resigned from the government in December, along with Moise Katumbi, who left the ruling coalition and announced his intention to challenge President Felix Tshisekedi in the upcoming elections. The political atmosphere in the country has become tense as the election approaches, with several opposition figures, including Katumbi, alleging that the nation’s electoral authority is planning a fraudulent poll.

The news of Okende’s death triggered small-scale protests in Kinshasa, with demonstrators setting tires on fire and chanting slogans denouncing the government. The European Union ambassador to the DRC and the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in the country have also condemned the assassination.