The Lebanese government sent Tuesday an official to the Democratic Republic of Congo to inquire about the fate of a dozen Lebanese imprisoned in connection with the assassination of the Congolese president, reported the Daily Star newspaper.
Haitham Joumaa, the director-general for emigrant affairs, said the government had no concrete information on the conditions of those arrested and that it could not deny rumors that they were executed, the daily said.
While earlier reports put the number of Lebanese arrested at 11, the Lebanese government said Tuesday that 12 were imprisoned.
They have been held since January 16th, when Congolese President Laurent-Desire Kabila was gunned down.
During his week-long stay, Joumaa will meet Congolese officials and foreign diplomats in Kinshasa. He said Lebanon wanted to make sure that the prisoners are not being held by guerrilla groups, the Daily Star said.
“Right now we don’t have any clear or precise information, but we hope that the truth will surface through these meetings,” Joumaa said before departing.
Joumaa said there were at least 2,000 Lebanese living in Congo – Albawaba.com
