The body of former DRC opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has been returned from Brussels, two years after his death. It was delayed over concerns that the opposition would call to oust then-President Joseph Kabila.
Image: Presidence RDC
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The body of longtime Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) opposition leader and former Prime Minister Etienne Tshisekedi was returned to his home country from the Belgian capital Brussels on Thursday.
Tshisekedi was the face of the DRC's opposition for decades until his death aged 84 in February 2017 in Brussels.
Thousands of people gathered in the capital of the DRC, Kinshasa, as Tshisekedi's casket, draped in the national flag, arrived.
The return of his body fulfills one of the first promises made by his son Felix, who unexpectedly came to power as president earlier this year.
Tens of thousands of people will pay tribute at a stadium on Friday and presidents from six other African nations are expected to attend a memorial service on Saturday.
Thousands gathered in Kinshasa as Etienne Tshisekedi's casket arrived in the countryImage: Presidence RDC
Fear of opposition protests
Tshisekedi was a fierce critic of former President Joseph Kabila. He died from a pulmonary embolism in Brussels before he was able to see his political nemesis leave power.
When he died, tensions were at an all-time high as critics feared Kabila would not cede power and elections were continuously delayed.
Family members and Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party were unable to reach an agreement with Kabila's government for the repatriation of his body, with the regime fearing a funeral could lead to a resurgence of opposition demonstrations calling for the ousting of Kabila.
Tshisekedi was one of UDPS's founders in 1982 when opposition to then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled Congo for decades, was increasing.
Two years after the country allowed multiple political parties in 1990, Tshisekedi became prime minister in an unstable partnership with Mobutu.
He went into exile in 2000 after repeated clashes with the government of Joseph Kabila's father, Laurent, who became president after Mobutu's departure and was assassinated in 2001.
Africa's opposition leaders who claimed early victories
There's a long history of African opposition candidates declaring themselves the victors of the election. Many contested the results in court, claiming the elections were fraudulent. Here are a few of them.
Martin Fayulu asked the Constitutional Court of DR Congo to nullify the vote result
Martin Fayulu rejected the result of the 30 December 2018 presidential election that placed him runner up to Felix Tshisekedi, another opposition candidate. Fayulu filed an petitioned the Constitutional Court to nullify Tshisekedi's win. But it ruled that his challenge was "inadmissible." Election results had shown Fayulu won 34.8 percent of the vote while Tshisekedi 38.57 percent.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Charlier
Cameroon's Maurice Kamto declares a win
Maurice Kamto, the opposition candidate for the MRC and FDP coalition, declared himself the winner of the presidential vote held on Sunday, October 7, 2018. He is one of seven candidates in the race against Cameroon's longtime leader Paul Biya, who has been in office for 36 years. "I call on President Biya to ensure a peaceful transition and avoid situations that may be ugly," Kamto declared.
Image: Reuters/Z. Bensemra
Nelson Chamisa, the 'legitimate president' of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's young opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, contested the election victory of President Emmerson Mnangagwa after the first post-Mugabe polls were held on July 30, 2018. He proclaimed himself the president in a symbolic swearing-in ceremony.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Delay
Soumaila Cisse rejects results in Mali
Mali's Soumaila Cisse didn't go as far as the inauguration ceremony but spoke of a vacuum of power in Mali after his rival Ibrahim Boubacar Keita took power. On August 20, the constitutional court declared Keita the winner of the election, winning 67 percent of the vote in a run-off election.
Image: Getty Images/I. Sanogo
Kenya's 'peoples president' shakes hands with power
On January 20, 2018, Raila Odinga, the main challenger of Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, swore himself in as the "peoples’ president." He had boycotted a re-run of the elections in October 2017, after winning a court case over the legitimacy of the first election. While the post-election environment had been tense, Odinga and Kenyatta announced a surprise reconciliation in March 2018.
Image: Reuters/T. Mukoya
Jean Ping: 'I will exercise the power you invested in me'
Two years after the presidential polls in August 2016, Gabon's opposition leader Jean Ping is still determined to press his point. In August 2018 he reaffirmed his intention to continue his fight. Ping had initially placed his hopes on an investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the post-election violence, yet the case was closed. The criteria to investigate had not been met.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch
Uganda's Besigye: The longtime rival
In February 2016, Kizza Besigye ran for office for the fourth time against Uganda's 30-year-long leader Yoweri Museveni. When Museveni claimed victory, Besigye inaugurated himself in an alternative ceremony. He was arrested and accused of high treason but was released a few weeks later.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STRINGER
Etienne Tshisekedi: DRC's two-time 'winner'
In 2006 and 2011, Etienne Tshisekedi, leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo's UDPS party, claimed victory over President Joseph Kabila. He was seen as one of Kabila's main challengers hoping to run again in the next elections. He died after a period of illness in 2017, after which his son Felix took over party leadership.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. D. Kannah
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At one point, Tshisekedi was banished to internal exile in his home village about 700 kilometers (435 miles) west of the capital but he made a triumphant return in 2003.
He gained international attention when he ran against Kabila for president in 2011. He then declared himself president after the election was tainted by accusations of vote-rigging done by the ruling party.
He was placed under de facto house arrest but later left for Belgium for medical treatment.
Tshisekedi's son wins presidency
Tshisekedi refused to recognize Kabila's legitimacy as president and kept up his criticism until his death.
In late 2016, he accused Kabila of treason for not stepping down at the end of his mandate.
A court ruled that Kabila could remain president until the next election but Tshisekedi called it a "coup d'etat that was carried out with the blessing of the constitutional court."
International pressure eventually led Kabila's government to hold an election, but the victory of Tshiskedi's son Felix has been disputed, with another opposition candidate, Martin Fayulu, maintaining that he won.
