{"id":644735,"date":"2019-06-02T14:18:18","date_gmt":"2019-06-02T14:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"
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More than two years after his death in Brussels, Etienne Tshisekedi\u2019s body was repatriated to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he was finally laid to rest in the land of his ancestors.<\/p>\n

Etienne was a towering figure in the Congolese political scene. Briefly appointed prime minister in the 1990s, he was considered an eternal opponent.<\/p>\n

For four decades, he denounced successive government\u2019s abuses, first under the self-proclaimed \u201cMarshal-President\u201d Mobutu Sese Seko, then Laurent-Desire Kabila and finally Joseph Kabila \u2013 Laurent Kabila\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

The veteran opposition leader was stubborn, quick-tempered and often impulsive \u2013 a personality that was far from flawless and deemed unpredictable by many.<\/p>\n

Among those who came to pay a last tribute this Saturday, was Jean Lebosomo, a civil servant, and member of Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the party Etienne had founded, with others, in 1982.<\/p>\n

Jean had a shirt made for this event, with the face of his \u201chero\u201d printed on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the father of democracy\u201d, he said. \u201cHe taught us not to fear, and to fight for our rights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t have the opportunity to enjoy the results of his struggle, but we will follow the path he made for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Affectionately nicknamed \u201cle vieux\u201d (\u201cthe old man\u201d), or \u201cleader maximo\u201d by his supporters, he was very popular in Kinshasa.<\/p>\n

The capital was his stronghold, the headquarter from where he led his political resistance for 40 years.<\/p>\n

Etienne died of pulmonary embolism (a disease of the lung) at 84, on the February 1, 2017, in a hospital in Brussels \u2013 the capital of the former colonial power, Belgium.<\/p>\n

At the time, political tensions were high in DRC, and the veteran leader was in the middle of a long and exhausting confrontation with then President Joseph Kabila, who delayed polls multiple times, extending his stay in office.<\/p>\n

\u2018Fought for several decades\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

But even after his death, he was still perceived as a threat by the authorities.<\/p>\n

For two years, his body had been kept in a mortuary in Brussels, awaiting permission from the Congolese government to be repatriated home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a recognition of the noble cause he carried,\u201d said Nathan Tshinkunku, one of his grand-nephews. He fought for several decades \u201cfor our rights and for the rise of democracy in DRC\u201d.<\/p>\n

If Etienne has finally been able to return to Kinshasa and receive a state funeral, it is because his son, Felix Tshisekedi, was proclaimed winner of the December 2018 presidential election.<\/p>\n

Felix, 55, was sworn in as president in January in the first peaceful handover of power since the country\u2019s independence in 1960.<\/p>\n

Felix\u2019s ascent to power came after very contested results and following a secret agreement of power-sharing with Kabila who left the presidential chair, but still holds the reins of many key sectors. A compromise, many whisper, Etienne himself would have opposed.<\/p>\n

Felix positions himself as his father\u2019s political heir, wearing the same trademark flat cap.<\/p>\n

The two-days funeral, during which the president didn\u2019t speak publicly, fulfilled one of the first promises he made in office.<\/p>\n

Dignitaries of the Catholic Church, representatives of the UDPS attended, as did several African heads of states, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe forgive those who offended you,\u201d said the eldest of Etienne\u2019s grand-daughters. The deceased could be made a \u201cnational hero\u201d.<\/p>\n

Relaying the torch<\/strong><\/p>\n

The state funeral was organised after several delay, and the 80,000-seat Martyrs stadium in Kinshasa, where the ceremonies were held, was never full.<\/p>\n

A few thousand people had gathered around the roads to see the hearse passing, carrying the mortal remains, in a black coffin covered with the Congolese and the UDPS flags, to their last resting place.<\/p>\n

It was nothing compared to the huge crowds that Etienne could mobilise during his lifetime.<\/p>\n

Some wondered if people in the capital grew tired of waiting for his body to return or an expression of a lack of enthusiasm for the new president.<\/p>\n

UDPS members attending the funeral fondly remembered him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a man of principles, deeply rooted in his convictions. He wasn\u2019t someone who wanted to make sure that his son would be the one succeeding him as the head of the party after his death,\u201d a party member, who declined to be named, said.<\/p>\n

Albert Moleka, his former head of cabinet, said: \u201cNow Felix must find his own way to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin Fayulu, one of the presidential candidates, who still disputes the results, paid tribute to Etienne\u2019s \u201cfight for democracy and justice\u201d, but said he wouldn\u2019t attend the funeral.<\/p>\n

Etienne was buried in an unachieved $2.5m mausoleum in Nsele on the far outskirts of Kinshasa.<\/p>\n

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