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DR Congo opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi dies in Brussels

Xinhua, February 2, 2017 Adjust font size:

Etienne Tshisekedi, the leader of the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), died at the age of 84 in Brussels, media here reported Wednesday.

Tshisekedi was the chairman of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the oldest Congolese opposition political party.

He left Kinshasa on Jan. 24 for Brussels, while his party negotiates with the majority supporting President Joseph Kabila power sharing until the next presidential election in the country.

His entourage asserted that he returned to Belgium for medical treatment.

In December, Tshisekedi called for "peaceful resistance" against President Kabila, whose term expired on Dec. 19. But the election of a new president was postponed until April 2018 due to "logistical and financial difficulties."

The opposition parties and the ruling party of President Kabila reached an agreement on Dec. 31 in Kinshasa. The deal requires President Kabila to step down after elections that must take place before the end of 2017. Enditem