* Opposition figure has been in hiding after treason charge
* Source at South African embassy confirms departure
* Congo says Lumbala must be returned to face the law
(Adds Congo government reaction)
By Patrick Nduwimana
BUJUMBURA, Sept 16 (Reuters) – An opposition figure wanted
in the Democratic Republic of Congo on treason charges has left
neighbouring Burundi, where he had taken refuge, and has gone to
France, his lawyer said on Sunday.
Roger Lumbala, a Congolese member of parliament and former
rebel, arrived at the South African Embassy in Burundi’s capital
Bujumbura earlier this month, seeking asylum.
The government accuses him of helping Rwanda support a
rebellion in eastern Congo that has deepened political fissures
in the capital Kinshasa, where the government and opposition
accuse each other of fanning the flames of the distant war.
The worsening political chaos threatens to undermine
President Joseph Kabila’s ability to push through political and
economic reforms in the country – a potential mining and oil
giant – after his re-election in flawed polls last year.
“Lumbala left the South African Embassy on Saturday with a
Kenya Airways flight and took the direction of France,” lawyer
Prosper Niyoyankana told Reuters.
Continued…
