Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have arrested at least 27 associates of Moise Katumbi, a presidential aspirant, and other opposition party members since late April 2016.

According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the arrests occurred between 22 April and 7 May in and around the southern city of Lubumbashi, where Katumbi is based.

The organisation argues that the investigation into Katumbi for his alleged ‘recruitment of mercenaries, [including] several retired American soldiers’, appears politically motivated.

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