Belgium responds favourably to ICC request to accept Bemba: official

Brussels (AFP) – Belgium has responded “favourably” to accepting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, after he was cleared of war crimes last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Didier Reynders said Thursday.

“The Belgian authorities have responded favourably to the court’s request to allow Mr Bemba to stay in Belgium, where his family lives, following his release on bail,” Reynders said in a statement, adding that the handover would be finalised in the coming days.