BBC
TWO men convicted over the assassination of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Laurent Kabila 20 years ago have been pardoned.
Although Mr Kabila was shot by his bodyguard, two of his senior officials, Col Eddy Kapend and Georges Leta, were implicated in the killing.
President Félix Tshisekedi commuted their death sentences last June.
The pardon comes amid a rift between Mr Tshisekedi and his predecessor, Laurent Kabila’s son Joseph.
Joseph Kabila took power after his father’s death in 2001 and ruled DR Congo for 18 years before Mr Tshisekedi won the election in December 2018.
Although it was the first peaceful transfer of power in the country in nearly 60 years, many disputed the election result. There were strong suspicions that the new president had done a backroom deal with Joseph Kabila, who still retains considerable clout in the country.