Prosecutors seek long jail term for Congo presidential challenger

Prosecutors on Friday sought a minimum 15-year jail term for a Congolese general and former presidential candidate accused by authorities of trying to topple longserving ruler Denis Sassou Nguesso.

Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, 71, a former chief of staff of the Republic of Congo's army, denies the accusations of "undermining internal state security" after a 2016 presidential poll in which he placed third.

His trial opened on Monday.

"The fact that the attack on internal security has been amply proven ... he should not get a prison sentence that is less than 15 years," Brazzaville's chief prosecutor told the court.

Mokoko on Wednesday wrote an open letter saying he was "not facing justice but arbitrariness," adding: "No matter what the outcome, I will not give in to anything. I will not bend."

In March 2016, Mokoko won less than a 14-percent vote share as Sassou Nguesso was controversially declared a first-round winner. Sassou Nguesso, 74, has cumulatively spent almost 35 years in office since 1979.

After the vote, Mokoko and other candidates called for a campaign of "civil disobedience".

But "had he wanted to stage a coup he would have done so a long time ago. General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko never said 'take up arms'," one of his lawyers, Norbert Tricaud, told French broadcaster RFI earlier.