DR Congo president’s security aide held over ‘acts against state security’

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi's special security adviser is being detained over matters relating to state security, the president’s office said Tuesday.

Francois Beya, who had been considered a key figure in the national security system, was arrested by the intelligence service Saturday while Tshisekedi had travelled to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa to attend a two-day African Union summit.

There had been no official communication on why he was arrested, leaving room for speculation.

But on Tuesday, the president’s office said investigators have serious evidence implicating Beya in "acts against national security.”

“This is a matter of state security. Investigators have serious evidence of acts against national security as more investigations continue at different levels,” said presidential spokesman Tharcisse Kasongo Mwema.

The presidency called on the public to remain calm and cautious.

News of Beya’s arrest prompted protests by supporters of Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party in the capital Kinshasa on Sunday.

Police said the angry protestors blocked part of a main road, with some pelting passing cars with stones.

The communication from the president’s office came hours after the coordinator of the Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ), Georges Kapiamba, had expressed concern that Beya’s detention was “illegal” because it had gone beyond the 48 hours provided under the law for police custody.

Beya also served as the head of migration under President Joseph Kabila until 2019, when he joined Tshisekedi's government.