Brigadier General Pierre Banywesize, a close confidant of former President Joseph Kabila Kabange of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been arrested.
Banywesize previously served as the personal bodyguard to Joseph Kabila.
According to reports, he was arrested on Thursday, May 22, by DRC intelligence services shortly after undergoing an interrogation.
This general, who had been stationed for some time in Dungu, Haut-Uele province, was reportedly apprehended in Kinshasa, where he was awaiting departure for medical treatment abroad.
The specific charges against him remain unknown at this time.
However, his arrest comes as the Kinshasa government intensifies pressure on Kabila’s former allies.
On Thursday, the DRC Senate lifted Kabila’s immunity, granting the High Military Court the authority to prosecute him. He is accused of participating in a group plotting to overthrow President Tshisekedi’s government, conspiracy, and involvement in groups committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Kinshasa government has long accused Kabila of collaborating with and supporting the M23 rebel group, which is currently engaged in conflict with the state.
