afrol News, 27 May - The arrest of Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former warlord-turned-politician of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has attracted protests in the capital Kinshasha on Tuesday.

Hundreds of Mr Bemba's supporters filled the streets, calling on Belgian authorities to free their leader. Currently a Senator and the former presidential runner-up in the 2006 presidential elections, Bemba was at the weekend arrested by Belgian police on charges of war crimes.

Belgian police had acted in response to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague that accused the former warlord and his militia of carrying out rape and torture in the Central African Republic.

Protesters marched the streets in protest before peacefully dispersing at midday.

Bemba fled to Portugal in April last year before moving to his home in the Belgian capital Brussels. He had fled the country after he was accused of treason.

The Congolese government is yet to react to Bemba's arrest, but his party colleagues have already sounded their anger, describing the arrest of an elected Senator as "unjust and uncalled for."

The party's Secretary General, Francois Muamba, said the party is speaking with one voice concerning the release of Mr Bemba.

During the four-year war [1998 to 2002], Bemba had controlled large part of the northeastern Congo. As part of efforts to bring unity in the vast Central African country, the former warlord and rebel leader was appointed one of the four Vice Presidents.

By staff writer

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