Congo suspends police chief over activist killing

KINSHASA, Sunday

Democratic Republic of Congo’s top police officer has been suspended to facilitate an inquiry into the death of a prominent human rights activist, officials said on Sunday.

The death of Floribert Chebeya, head of local campaign group Voice of the Voiceless (VSV) and whose body was found last week, prompted concern from the United Nations and major donors such as Britain, France and the United States.

“(Inspector General) John Numbi was suspended so that the Attorney General can focus on his enquiries smoothly and make sure nothing gets in the way of the investigations,” Mr Daniel Lubo, an adviser at the Interior Ministry, told Reuters. Mr Lubo added that a police colonel, named as Daniel Mukalay and a member of the police special services, had been arrested in connection with the killing but had not been charged.

The move to suspend Mr Numbi was decided at a meeting late Saturday of Congo’s Supreme Defence Council, which includes President Joseph Kabila, his prime minister and army chief.

Mr Chebeya was believed to be heading to a meeting with Mr Numbi last Tuesday before he went missing. It is not known if he kept the meeting. Mr Chebeya’s driver Fidele Bazana has not been seen since.

Mr Numbi, formerly an army commander and later head of the air force, has been one of Kabila’s top military advisers.

The incident, which has raised concerns from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, comes as Congo prepares to celebrate 50 years of independence from Belgian colonial rule.

Campaigners have long criticised the country’s record on human rights, saying activists are under increasing threat and several fear for their lives. Mr Chebeya, who campaigned to uphold the constitution and improve prison conditions, had been harassed by authorities in the past and a report this year by rights group Amnesty International said he was at risk.

Earlier Interior Minister Adolphe Lumanu announced on national television that Mr Numbi had been suspended and several police officers arrested in the probe into Chebeya’s death.

Reading out a communique Lumanu said President Joseph Kabila was “determined that all light be shed” on the murder. (Reuters)