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London takes Kinshasa arrests “very seriously”

[Cote d'Ivoire] Pro-rebel demonstrators set fire to the bushes surrounding the UN compound in Bouake. IRIN
Pro-rebels demonstrators hurling rocks while a fire blazes in the bushes surrounding the UN compound
    ABIDJAN

    Four British officials and an American working for the British foreign office were arrested in Kinshasa on Sunday. They are currently being held at a hotel in the DRC capital under “house arrest”, a UK foreign office spokeswoman told IRIN today. The UK is treating the arrests “very seriously”. UK minister Tony Lloyd telephoned President Laurent-Desire Kabila about the matter today. The five, including two ministry of defence officials, were on “legitimate” and “routine” business, reviewing “standard plans for evacuation in the event of an emergency”, the spokeswoman said.

    Meanwhile, Zimbabwean police are still investigating the case of three Americans arrested on Sunday for allegedly trying to smuggle weapons out of Zimbabwe. The men had travelled to Zimbabwe by road from the DRC. Airport security was alerted when one of the men had attempted to board a plane with a pistol. A security source in Harare who saw the impounded guns told IRIN “they were definitely not brand new”.

    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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