The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has protested over the presence of former Katanga Governor Moise Katumbi at the under-20 AFCON semi-finals between Zambia and South Africa at Heroes Stadium last week.
Accompanied by State House Spokesman Amos Chanda, Mr Katumbi mingled and interacted with football fans at the match.
In a statement addressed to the Ministry of Home affairs in Zambia, the Congolese Embassy in Zambia stated that it was not right for the Zambian government to grant Mr. Katumbi an entry Visa into Zambia because he was facing charges before judicial authorities in his country.
“Indeed, as a fairly and brotherly government of the Republic of Zambia knows, Mr Moise Katumbi Chapwe displays behaviour likely to undermine the peace, stability and well-being of the Congolese people because he proclaims himself enemy number one to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, H.E. Mr Joseph Kabila Kabange. He travelled all over the world to plead for the arrest of the Congolese authorities and he pushes the international community to take sanctions against the institutions of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” stated the Congolese Embassy in Lusaka.
The embassy stated that it could not understand why the Zambian government would grant Katumbi an entry visa into Zambia looking at the kind of relationship the two countries enjoyed.
“According to sources, Katumbi is prepared to set up a militia in charge of the destabilization of the institutions of the Republic of Congo. He is also pushing the Congolese population to an uprising that is likely to plunge the Democratic Republic of Congo into indescribable chaos and he is also subject to prosecution before the judicial authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
“In view of this situation, considering the good relations of solidarity, fraternity and friendship between the Republic of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, it cannot be understood that the government of the Republic of Zambia had granted the entry visa in its territory in favour of Mr Moise Katumbi Chapwe,” the Embassy complained.
The Embassy even went further to ask how the Zambian government would have felt if the Congolese government showed the solidarity that the Zambian government had showed Katumbi to one of its rivals.
“What would be the reaction of the Zambian government if Mr Hakainde Hichilema was on Congolese territory and received by the High Political Authorities?” asked the Embassy asked.
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