Belgium confirms Joseph Kabila “alive and well”

Belgium on Thursday confirmed that the diplomatic community in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, was introduced to the acting head of state Joseph Kabila on Wednesday, dispelling rumours of his death. Belgian foreign ministry spokesman Koen Vervaeke told IRIN that President Laurent-Desire Kabila's son was "alive and well", and that Belgium had had "constructive contacts" with the current authorities in Kinshasa. "The situation in Kinshasa is very calm and there is no animosity towards Belgians," he added. He said Belgium did not want to be drawn into a quarrel with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the fate of President Laurent-Desire Kabila, but maintained that the president had died after Tuesday's shooting incident around the presidential palace. An official statement by the DRC authorities on Wednesday said Kabila had been wounded in an assassination attempt, but that he was alive and had been flown out of the country for medical treatment. There had been speculation that Joseph Kabila was also killed in Tuesday's incident, or that he had fled the country, and that television footage of him on Congolese state television was taken from archive pictures.