The reactions multiply following the announcement of the discovery of the body of Chérubin Okende, part of the party Together for the Republic of Moise Katumbi, on the avenue of heavyweights in Kinshasa. This news aroused a wave of emotion and caution among Congolese chancelleries and political actors.
Jean-Marc Chataigner, Ambassador of the European Union to the Democratic Republic of Congo, expresses his dismay at this tragic event: “I learned with dismay this morning of the assassination of the former Minister of Transport & Spokesperson Together for the Republic Cherubin Okende. My condolences to his family, friends and loved ones. Finding and bringing to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime must be the top priority.”
The presidential candidate, Augustin Matata Ponyo, denounces a regime of terror: “I denounce with the utmost energy the assassination of Chérubin Okende, collaborator of Moïse Katumbi. This is all the more serious as it would have been kidnapped in the precincts of the Constitutional Court. Who would have believed it! We have returned to a regime of terror and unspeakable dictatorship. My condolences to the bereaved family and to the Together Party”.
Seth Kikuni, also a presidential candidate, adds that this assassination will not go unpunished: “We now have an idea about the biggest kidnapper and assassin in the country. The elimination of Chérubin Okende will not be without consequences”.
On the side of the majority in power, Steve Mbikayi, initiator of FP 2023 and founder of the Labor Party, expresses his sadness and pays tribute to Chérubin Okende: “I am appalled by the assassination of my friend Chérubin Okende. A remarkable intelligence and a man of peace. Like his wife and children, I am inconsolable. My most saddened condolences to his family, both biological and political”.
In civil society, Bienvenu Matumo de la Lucha qualifies this assassination as a State crime and accuses the UDPS regime of setting up a bloody dictatorship: “The assassination of the opponent Chérubin Okende is a State crime The socialist regime of the UDPS installs a bloodthirsty dictatorship that kills and assassinates all opposition and dissenting voices. I am very shocked and I express my most saddened condolences to the biological family, politicians and relatives of Okende. Justice must be returned for Cherubino. Your authoritarian practices and methods will not shake the commitments for the Republic. Peace to the soul of Okende and may the land of our ancestors be sweet and light to him”.
Jean Claude Katende, president of the African Association for Human Rights (ASADHO), asks for justice for Chérubin Okende: “The Government is called upon to use all the means of the State so that we know the truth about the assassination of Chérubin Okende. I condemn this act and demand that its perpetrators be identified and brought to justice.”
As reactions continue to pour in, this tragic event once again highlights the political and security challenges facing the Democratic Republic of Congo. It remains essential to shed full light on this assassination and to ensure the protection of the rights and security of political actors in the country