26-Year-Old Rapper Abducted For Speaking Against Congolese President

A rapper critical of outgoing President Joseph Kabila was abducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern city of Bukavu overnight, his father told AFP on Sunday.

Akim Bufole Corneille, 26, was taken by unidentified people as he left a karaoke party, where he had been invited to perform, in the capital city of the South Kivu province, his father Amuli Bufole said.

“Before he was taken, he wrote a rushed message (on his phone) to alert us that he felt in danger,” Bufole told AFP.

The kidnapping happened “not far from our home,” he added.

“We arrived too late at the scene, where we found one of his shoes and his wallet,” said Bufole.

The young rapper goes by the name of Cor Akim.

He recently brought out a new single entitled: “Mon vote” (My vote), in which the lyrics insist: “I will vote only for a better republic”, and not “for thieves, for vultures in velvet”.

Other musicians in Bukavu have demanded the liberation of their fellow artist.

He has been described as an opponent of Kabila, who will not be among the 21 candidates standing in December 23 presidential elections.

Municipal authorities and police have launched a search.

**AFP