Democratic Republic of Congo waited on Thursday the delayed return of the remains of former opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, an emotion-laden moment for the country after his son Felix became president this year.
A revered opponent of authoritarianism in DRC, Tshiskedi died in Belgium in February 2017 at the age of 84 and was unable to witness his son’s victory in bitterly-contested presidential election.
Felix Tshisekedi has vowed to repatriate his father’s remains and bury them in his home country, a goal that faced multiple roadblocks under his predecessor Joseph Kabila.
The return of the body, which had been scheduled for early Thursday, was delayed after a last-minute hitch over the overnight flight from Belgium, a member of the Tshisekedi family said.
The funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
