Authorities in the Republic of Congo have ordered on Tuesday the arrest of a former Congolese presidential security adviser, General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko over accusations of planning a coup d’état.
Mokoko, 69, ex-presidential candidate is accused of involvement in an alleged coup attempt in 2007.
Mokoko is a long-time ally of Sassou Nguesso, but on February 3, 2016, he announced his resignation as the president’s advisor on peace and security, a post he had held since 2005.
He later challenged his former boss in the March 20 election.
‘This is clearly a desire to harm the general, who stood up to Sassou during the last presidential election,” spokesman for the general’s political party, Guy Romain Kinfouissia said.
“It is just another demonstration of force to muzzle the opposition,” he said.
Denis Sassou Nguesso was reelected with over 60 percent of votes in March.
The European Union refused to send election observers to the country, saying conditions had not been met for a transparent and democratic vote.
Sassou has ruled the poor nation of 4.5 million people by facing down challenges from rebels and accusations of corruption and mismanagement of resources, especially in the state-run oil sector upon which Congo heavily depends.
Under his so-called “hybrid socialism,” he has used Congo’s oil revenues for major infrastructure and development projects.
But poverty “remains endemic” in the country, according to the International Monetary Fund.