Yves Sakila’s family still waiting to bring his body to Congo five weeks after it was returned to Ireland Wed, 09 Sep, 2026 – 12:47Alison O’Reilly
Five weeks after the failed repatriation of the body of Yves Sakila in Dublin, his family say they are still facing a heartbreaking wait to bring him home to the Democratic Republic of Congo for burial.
The Congolese man, 35, died on May 15 after an incident outside Arnotts department store on Dublin’s Henry Street.
He had been accused of attempting to steal a bottle of perfume and was restrained by security personnel.
Video footage, which lasted more than four minutes, showed Mr Sakila being held on the ground before he became unresponsive.
He was taken to the Mater Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His stepmother Angel Issemezey Anzibi, in Dublin, agreed to send his remains home to his mother Janet Sakila in the Congo, to allow him to be buried there.
The body was flown home five weeks ago but was stopped in Istanbul over an issue in Congo, which led to his body being returned to Dublin on July 31, where it remains in the city morgue in Dublin.
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Family seeks answers after Yves Sakila’s body returned to Ireland instead of DR Congo
Lassane Ouedraogo, community leader and chairperson of Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland, said: “We did everything right, but now we find that we just do not know what the problem is, the paperwork is correct, but the issue lies with the Congolese ambassador.
So, the body is just lying there, and the matter cannot be resolved because we don’t know who to talk to.
Mr Quedraogo said it had already cost €7,000 to return Mr Sakila home.
“The circumstances of the failed repatriation remain unexplained,” he said. “The first information received by the family and those supporting them came through telephone calls and emails which, in some instances, did not clearly identify the originating authority or provide an identifiable formal signature or attribution.
“We were initially informed the reason for the return of Mr Sakila’s remains was that a ‘consignee’ understood to be the funeral director in the Democratic Republic of Congo, had refused to accept the remains.
“I immediately arranged communication involving the next of kin, representatives of the paternal family and the funeral directors in the DRC.
“During that communication, it became apparent to us that the funeral directors were in fact prepared to receive Mr Sakila’s remains and had been present at the airport awaiting his arrival.
“We were then informed that the DRC ambassador in the UK had opposed the repatriation of Mr Sakila’s remains to the DRC, notwithstanding the fact that the relevant travel documentation and laissez-passer had been issued through the DRC diplomatic process.”
The Departments of Foreign Affairs and Justice said they were not involved in the repatriation of Mr Sakila and the Congolese Embassy in the UK did not respond to queries.
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