A former presidential candidate in the Democratic Republic of Congo was arrested on Tuesday in Kinshasa, his political party announced, stating that no reasons were given for his arrest.
Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary is the number two in the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) of former President Joseph Kabila, and was also presidential candidate for the coalition group the Common Front for Congo (FCC) in 2018 polls.
Kabila, who ruled the DRC for nearly two decades until 2019, was sentenced to death in absentia for “treason” by a military court earlier this year over his alleged complicity with the M23 rebel group.
Shadary had served as Kabila’s interior minister from 2016 to 2018.
M23’s offensive in eastern DRC
In December 2018 polls, Shadary finished third behind current President Felix Tshisekedi. It was not immediately clear whether Shadary’s arrest is linked to M23 activities in eastern DRC.
Between January and February, the M23 carried out large-scale offensives in eastern DRC, a region rich in natural resources and long plagued by conflict. The group seized major cities Goma and Bukavu.
