Embattled DRC opposition leader in Johannesburg hospital

Democratic Republic of Congo opposition figure Moise Katumbi, President Joseph Kabila's powerful rival who has been charged with undermining state security, will remain in hospital in South Africa, an aide said Saturday.

Concerns have been mounting at home and abroad that Kabila, who took power on his father's assassination in 2001, intends to extend his rule despite being constitutionally barred from a third term.

Katumbi was the leading challenger for the country's top job after announcing plans to stand in the presidential election which is due later this year, but he was swiftly hit with a judicial investigation into claims he had hired foreign mercenaries.

He was charged on Thursday with "threatening the internal and external security of the state" but given the go-ahead a day later to leave DR Congo for medical treatment in South Africa.

On Saturday "he had various examinations including an X-ray and blood tests," an aide speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP.

"He's fine. He's making good progress," the aide said, adding that Katumbi, 51, would spend a second night in a Johannesburg hospital, without giving its name.

Katumbi's followers say he was injured during clashes between police and thousands of his supporters in Lubumbashi on May 13, with a source saying he was suffering from "respiratory problems" after being teargassed.

But his detractors claim he is feigning medical problems.

Katumbi has said the legal case against him, which followed the arrest of four of his bodyguards, including an American, was politically motivated, while Human Rights Watch has condemned it as a "targeted action" against a rival to Kabila.

- AFP