Lungu heads to Congo DR

President Edgar Lungu is today expected in Kinshasa, the capital city of the DRC, at the invitation of his counterpart Felix Tshisekedi.

The Zambian Head of State, who has been invited on a period of two days to attend the funeral procession for Etienne Tshisekedi – the DRC president’s father, is among other five Heads of State and Government from Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Angola and Uganda who will pay their last respects.

President Lungu is expected to be accompanied by both his political advisor Kaizer Zulu and Press Aide Amos Chanda.

The President’s invitation is an opening avenue for Zambia’s interests in the DRC in the area of increasing economic ties that exist between the two sister countries.

The development is a further demonstration of continued historic ties that Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, have benefited from each other from time immemorial.

Among them is the Solwezi/Kolwezi road, which is lies between North-western and Lualaba provinces in Zambia and the DRC respectively.

The road is famous for its mining activities between the two towns and will be a shorter route from Zambia to the DRC once complete.

The other benefit for the Solwezi/Kolwezi road is that it will help decongest the Kasumbalesa one stop border post between the two countries.

And one of the Congolese tour operators, John Katumba, disclosed in an interview that he holds great respect for President Edgar Lungu.

Mr Katumba, added that President Lungu’s attendance at the funeral demonstrates the respect he accords the people of the DRC as Africans.

“We Congolese people are carrying; It is very good symbol for the future of the relationship between the two countries-Zambia/DRC, he narrates.

Today, the body is expected to lie in State at the Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa where the people of the DRC including Tshisekedi’s family and the invited Heads of State will pay their last respects.

In July, 2016, the veteran politician returned to the DRC after medical treatment away from home.

Unfortunately, his body could not be brought back to his home country pending political tensions with the former President Joseph Kabila’s regime.

A critic of former President Mobutu Sese Seko, Etienne Tshisekedi was co-founder of a political party called Union for Democracy and Social Progress.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa and the second largest country in Africa.

ZANIS