Dr congo oppisition leader in sa for treatment

Moise Katumbi, the opposition presidential
hopeful in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
has flown to South Africa for medical
treatment, his lawyer says, a day after
authorities issued an arrest warrant for him.

He was accused of hiring foreign mercenaries
in an alleged plot against the state, which he
denies.
Mr Katumbi's lawyer said he had been in
hospital since police had fired tear gas during
a protest.
Elections are due in November.
Prosecutors allowed him to travel for
treatment on condition that he returned to
face the criminal charges against him.
Lawyer Georges Kapiamba said Mr Katumbi
was taken to hospital in Lubumbashi, after
police fired tear gas at him and his
supporters.
The politician was weak but boarded the
flight unaided, he added.
Mr Katumbi has condemned the charges
against him as an attempt to stall his
campaign to replace President Joseph Kabila
in November polls.
Mr Kabila, in power since 2001, is nearing the
end of his second term and he is
constitutionally obliged to step down by
December.
But there is growing political tension as it is
not clear if he will relinquish power.
Who is Moise Katumbi?
Moise Katumbi was governor of the south-
eastern Katanga province for almost a decade.
He is a wealthy businessman who has a lot of
support in the mineral-rich south-eastern
Katanga province, and was at one time an ally
of the president,
But in September last year he broke ties with
the ruling party when he accused President
Kabila of wanting to cling to power.
His popularity is partly down to his job as the
president of a great source of Congolese