The Minister of the Interior under Pascal Lissouba (1992-1997), Philippe Bikinkita, died the night before Friday to Saturday 21 August in England, almost 25 years after the civil war that enabled President Denis Sassou-Nguesso to regain power. The opposition, which had not expressed itself since the presidential election in March last year as the loser, called on the head of state to release all political prisoners.
From our correspondent in Brazzaville,
It was Jean Itadi, chairman of the African Congress for Progress (CAP), a formation of the so-called “radical” opposition, who spoke to the press.
Concerned about national reconciliation, which in his words “can not be built either in hatred or division”, he asked President Denis Sassou-Nguesso to forgive all political prisoners.
“Every Congolese counts, every Congolese is in love,” he said. Retaining Congolese who can help build the country in prison is a sin. We should take immediate action for the refugees as well as for the political prisoners, and I ask President Sassou-Nguesso to release the political prisoners. Their place is not in prison. They have their place in their family, they have their place in the city to help build Congo. ”
Former Prime Minister Sassou-Nguesso and Pascal Lissouba, Jean Itadi allude to the general Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, former Chief of Staff and former Minister André Okombi Salissa.
Both dissatisfied presidential candidates in 2016, they were accused of “endangering the state’s internal security”, were sentenced to 20 years of forced labor in 2018.
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