Kabila wounded but alive, DRC government says

The situation in the Congolese capital Kinshasa is extremely confused. An official statement broadcast over Congolese state television on Wednesday said DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila was wounded in a coup attempt on Tuesday, but is alive. His son, Joseph Kabila, has been named acting head of state. Communications Minister Dominique Sakombi, who made the announcement, said Kabila had been flown to Zimbabwe for treatment. But diplomatic sources maintained that Kabila had been shot dead and his body taken to Lubumbashi in Katanga province. Analyst Hannelie de Beer of the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa pointed out that the Congolese government was the only authority to say Kabila was still alive. The Congolese capital Kinshasa continues to be calm, and barricades around the presidential palace where Tuesday’s shooting took place have reportedly been removed. The situation in the provinces is also reported to be calm.