Heavy security as DR Congo ex-warlord 'heads home' to contest vote

Former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Democratic Republic of Congo boarding a private jet in Belgium on July 31, 2018, heading for Kinshasa to throw his hat into the ring for a December presidential election after spending 11 years abroad. PHOTO | COURTESY | JEAN-PIERRE BEMBA

Former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Democratic Republic of Congo said he was headed Wednesday for Kinshasa to throw his hat into the ring for a December presidential election after spending 11 years abroad — most of them behind bars.

"En route to the land of my ancestors, my homeland," Bemba said on Twitter during the night. A photo of the 55-year-old Bemba boarding a private jet in Belgium accompanied the tweet.