DR Congo opposition figure Prince Epenge arrested for spreading fake news

It's another blow to the struggling opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prince Epenge, a senior opposition leader, was transferred to Kinshasa's notorious Makala prison over the weekend. According to his lawyer, he's being held on charges of spreading fake news. Epenge, who is the spokesman for the opposition Lamuka coalition, had accused the youth wing of the ruling UDPS party of killing an activist at a protest in Kinshasa in September. Epenge was then arrested in late October at Kinshasa's international airport as he was on his way to an opposition meeting in Rome. Martin Fayulu, the leader of the Lamuka Coalition, denounced the arrest and said that Epenge was being used as a scapegoat. Speaking to the Congolese diaspora in Moscow over the weekend, President Félix Tshisekedi appeared to justify the arrest. Without naming Epenge directly, he said that an opposition politician had been arrested simply in order to answer questions. Political tensions in Congo are still running high, even though a majority of parties have said they want a national dialogue in order to end the country's long-running political and security crisis.