Felix Tshisekedi was on Thursday sworn in as Congo’s new president, marking the first peaceful though not undisputed transfer of power in the troubled country’s history. The inauguration of the new president took place in Kinshasa and his swearing in spelled the end of more than 20 years rule by the Kabila family.
At the ceremony, Tshisekedi was quoted saying “Our Congo will not be a Congo of hate and tribalism. Our fight will be to improve the lives of each citizen’’. He was reported to have taken ill during his speech.
In the Dec 30 election that saw Tshisekedi emerge winner, he had about 7 million votes compared to Fayulu’s 6.3 million, according to the country’s electoral commission. Former Ruler, Kabila hung on to the presidential seat even after his tenure was over.
The new administration led by Tshisekedi has much to do as the people are poverty stricken. The Central African country has been plagued by wars and is also home to numerous militias – some fighting along ethnic lines and others over lucrative mineral resources.
Congo has abundant deposits of copper, coltan, gold, diamonds and cobalt, which is highly sought-after because of its use in mobile phones.