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New Congolese President Sworn in
Major General Joseph Kabila, new president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was sworn in on Friday, Rwanda News Agency reported.
The inauguration, originally set for Wednesday, was postponed on Thursday for a second time to Friday, one day after the parliament approved his appointment.
After taking oath of the new office, Joseph Kabila addressed the nation for the first time since he was named head of state.
Joseph Kabila was appointed interim head of government after last week's assassination of his father, late DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila. But the rebels fighting to oust the government in Kinshasa expressed dissatisfaction over his appointment saying that "Congolese are tired of monarchies".
However, Joseph Kabila is expected to clear the way for the Lusaka peace agreement, which was signed by all belligerents in mid-1999 but repeatedly violated, to end the war in the DRC.
The new president, who has fought alongside his father since 1996, is the head of the DRC armed forces.
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