By TalkAfrica Correspondent
The third person to die of Covid-19 complications in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a respected human rights lawyer and an aide of President Félix Tshisekedi.
Jean-Joseph Mukendi wa Mulumba was the acting head of President Tshisekedi’s legal advisory council.
It is alleged that the prominent lawyer contracted the respiratory illness during his trip to France for a medical check-up.
Mulumba has been a key figure in DR Congo opposition politics and in human rights circles. He was a close aide of the late veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, the father of the current president.
As a lawyer, he represented opposition politician Moïse Katumbi and others who opposed former President Joseph Kabila’s attempt to extend his term in office when President Tshisekedi took over from Kabila in January last year.
This was the first peaceful transfer of power in the country in nearly 60 years. Many in DR Congo have described Mukendi wa Mulumba’s death as a huge loss.
DR Congo has confirmed 48 cases of Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
