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Kabila wounded but alive, DRC government says

    NAIROBI

    The situation in the Congolese capital Kinshasa is extremely confused. An official statement broadcast over Congolese state television on Wednesday said DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila was wounded in a coup attempt on Tuesday, but is alive. His son, Joseph Kabila, has been named acting head of state.

    Communications Minister Dominique Sakombi, who made the announcement, said Kabila had been flown to Zimbabwe for treatment. But diplomatic sources maintained that Kabila had been shot dead and his body taken to Lubumbashi in Katanga province.

    Analyst Hannelie de Beer of the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa pointed out that the Congolese government was the only authority to say Kabila was still alive.

    The Congolese capital Kinshasa continues to be calm, and barricades around the presidential palace where Tuesday’s shooting took place have reportedly been removed. The situation in the provinces is also reported to be calm.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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