Kinshasa--Pro-democracy activists from Senegal and Burkina Faso arrested in Democratic Republic of Congo on suspicion of planning to destabilise the country will be expelled and banned from returning, the government announced Wednesday.
"They will be expelled from the country. They are also being declared persona non grata," DR Congo government spokesman Lambert Mende told AFP. "It's the best solution we could find."
Militants from Senegal, DR Congo and Burkina Faso -- as well as journalists and US diplomat Kevin Sturr -- were detained at a press conference organised by pro-democracy critics Sunday after a meeting in the capital Kinshasa.
Authorities said the activists had gathered to plan a "campaign to destabilise" the mineral-rich nation, which included "acts of violence".
Mende said the government expects a decision within 48 hours from prosecutors about possible charges against the Congolese activists arrested Sunday.
Searches turned up a book titled "Return of the Jihadists" and a book about military clothing, which Mende said proved the militants were a real threat to the country.
The arrested activists included Fadel Barro, the charismatic head of the Senegalese group "Fed up" (Y'en a marre). It battled against ex-Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, whose bid for a controversial third term sparked deadly violence in Dakar.
The journalists and the US diplomat were released the same day they were detained.
AFP
