Kinshasa: Etienne Tshisekedi, an 81-year-old prominent opposition politician in the Democratic Republic of Congo, left Kinshasa for Brussels early Saturday on a specially-arranged medical flight, an AFP journalist witnessed.
Tshisekedi, who had not been seen in public for months, his wife Marthe, one of his children and a doctor boarded the plane, which took off at 0425 GMT.
He was too weak to walk and was helped into the Air Alliance jet, which was to make several stopovers on its way to the Belgian capital.
Previously, Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party had repeatedly batted away questions about the health of the politician, and denied that any medevac was being organised.
Publicly available documents said the medical flight had been authorised a week ago. But a government source said it had been delayed because of disagreement between Tshisekedi's doctor and his family over whether it should go to South Africa or Belgium.
Tshisekedi stood for election in a 2011 presidential poll but was beaten by the incumbent, Joseph Kabila. He had rejected that result and declared himself the president-elect.
Tshisekedi, who had not been seen in public for months, his wife Marthe, one of his children and a doctor boarded the plane, which took off at 0425 GMT.
He was too weak to walk and was helped into the Air Alliance jet, which was to make several stopovers on its way to the Belgian capital.
Publicly available documents said the medical flight had been authorised a week ago. But a government source said it had been delayed because of disagreement between Tshisekedi's doctor and his family over whether it should go to South Africa or Belgium.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Billionaire Bill Gates Enters Sewer In Brussels On World Toilet Day, Shares Video Belgium Charges Suspect For Allegedly Helping Brussels Attacker Paris Judge Charges Two Linked With Islamist Gunman In Brussels Attack Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Omar Abdullah On What Should Be J&K Assembly's 1st Move After Polls Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah To Be Prosecuted In Land Scam Case TasteAtlas Shares Top 10 Best And Worst American Foods, Internet Disagrees Telangana Man Dies In US, Family Asks Government To Help Bring Back Body JAM 2025: All You Need To Know About Joint Admission Test For Masters Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.