More violence as leaders take office in Congo
Last Updated: Thursday, July 17, 2003 | 9:27 PM ET
CBC News
Congo's two main rebel leaders were sworn in Thursday as vice-presidents in a new power-sharing government.
The development is viewed as a major step toward ending a bloody civil war, but it comes amid renewed violence in the expansive African country.
Jean-Pierre Bemba and Azarias Ruberwa were sworn in at a ceremony attended by thousands in Kinshasa.
CONGO TIMELINE
Also sworn in as vice-presidents were a member of the political opposition and an ally of standing president Joseph Kabila.
- BACKGROUNDER: Congo
The new government's mandate is to reunify the country, which has been torn apart by a five-year civil war.
- FROM JULY 14, 2003: 9 bodies found in grave in Congo
But the government faces many obstacles. On the day the vice-presidents were sworn in, rival tribes clashed in the remote northeast region of the country.
Fifty-four people died in the violence.
The region is 50 km from Bunia, where a multinational force has been deployed to keep the peace.
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