An opposition activist in Congo was shot dead, his body riddled with bullets

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A member of the Congolese opposition was shot dead in the capital, Kinshasa, and his body riddled with bullets, his party said Thursday.

Cherubin Okende, a former transport minister and now a member of Together for the Republic, an opposition party, was found dead in his car Thursday morning, said party leader Mbazi Kasongo.

His body was taken to a morgue and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.

Okende’s killing comes amid rising tensions between President Felix Tshisekedi’s ruling party and his political opponents ahead of presidential elections scheduled for December.

Several members of the opposition have been arrested in the run-up to the election.

Okende was one of several ministers who resigned from the ruling party. He became the spokesman for a leading opposition figure, Moise Katumbi, the president of Together for the Republic and its likely presidential candidate.

In a tweet, Katumbi said his colleague had been assassinated and called for an independent investigation.