COVID-19

Still in Central Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi lost a top legal aide to the virus. Jean-Joseph Mukendi Wa Mulumba was the acting head of the president’s legal advisory council. He is believed to have contracted the coronavirus whiles in France for a medical check-up. Mr. Mulumba was a celebrated personality in the country’s harsh opposition terrain. As a reputed lawyer, he also championed numerous human rights causes. He was an aide to the president’s father and veteran opposition figure, the late Etienne Tshisekedi. He also represented opposition politician Moïse Katumbi and others who opposed former President Joseph Kabila’s attempt to extend his term in office. Katumbi in a statement said he was inconsolable at the loss of a more than a lawyer and friend; a big brother and father. Many in DR Congo have described Mr. Mukendi was Mulumba’s death as a huge loss. Rights activist Anneke Van Woudenberg wrote on Twitter: “He was one of the greats. His country, and the human rights movement, will miss him.”