Congolese opposition leader Jean Pierre Bemba plans to return to Congo on Tuesday. There he will register to take part in December’s presidential election.
Bemba has been imprisoned for over a decade, after the ICC found him guilty of war crimes in 2008.
Bemba came second to President Joseph Kabila in a 2006 election. But the ICC arrested and charged him with war crimes in 2008. He was recently acquitted of those charges on appeal.
Last week, President Kabila’s ruling coalition said Bemba should be declared ineligible to stand in the December election, because of his witness tampering conviction at The Hague.
Bemba has a large following in western Congo. He was Vice-President under Kabila for three years prior to his arrest.
He still considers himself the strongest candidate to challenge Kabila’s rule.
Once Bemba has touched down in Congo, he plans to visit his father’s grave.
He then will hold talks with opposition leaders in Kinshasa in two days’ time. The elections – twice postponed – are scheduled for December the 23rd.
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