***
Few details have emerged about the safe-conduct the the South African
Ambassador to Bujumbura was able to secure for the Congolese pro-M23
MP Roger Lumbala.
MP Lumbala, flanked by South African diplomats and a UNHCR senior
official, arrived Saturday at Bujumbura International Airport at 11:00
am local time (GMT+ 2) and boarded a Paris-bound Kenya Airways flight,
Radio France Internationale (RFI) reports.
MP Lumbala arrived in Paris in the morning of Sunday, September 16.
On Friday, Burundian External Relations Minister Laurent Kavakure
confirmed to RFI Lumbula's safe passage without adding any further
comment.
But diplomatic sources tell RFI this outcome was possible because the
DRC dragged its feet in lodging its formal extradition request to
Burundi.
(Source: www.rfi.fr/afrique/20120916-burundi-roger-lombala-rdc-m23-laurent-kavakure-france-sud-africaine-ambassade-)
In a phone interview with Radio Okapi Sunday, Lumbala denied any link
with M23, switching from the first person to the third person, as is
his wont, while talking about himself:
"I'm not part of M23. I'm not in contact with friends of M23. Roger
Lumbala is free to go anywhere, wherever he wants, as a citizen of the
world. But this doesn't mean I went to Kigali."
Lumbala added:
"When you want to build, you don't accuse others, you don't look for
scapegoats. I wish the government would rather deal with reform of the
army than look for scapegoats."
Reached by phone to give his reaction to Lumbala's departure from
Bujumbura and his statements from Paris, DRC Media Minister Lambert
Mende told Radio Okapi:
"This changes absolutely nothing to the will of the DRC government to
see Roger Lumbala explain himself before the Congolese justice for the
serious deeds that were reported to us and of which he is the culprit
by conspiring with the Rwandan aggressor against the Democratic
Republic of Congo in this war that continues to plunge North Kivu into
mourning."
(Source: radiookapi.net/actualite/2012/09/16/depuis-paris-roger-lumbala-je-netais-pas-kigali-je-ne-suis-pas-en-contact-avec-le-m23/)
***
PHOTO: Wat.tv
Via: rfi.fr
0 comments:
Post a Comment