The Democratic Republic of Congo announced a new government on Wednesday, ending more than five months of deadlock following the re-election of President Felix Tshisekedi.
The announcement came less than two weeks after the country's military said it had thwarted an attempted coup in the capital, Kinshasa, when armed men stormed a minister's home before entering the Palais de la Nation, where Tshisekedi's offices are located.
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The Democratic Republic of Congo announced a new government on Wednesday, ending more than five months of deadlock following the re-election of President Felix Tshisekedi.
The announcement came less than two weeks after the country's military said it had thwarted an attempted coup in the capital, Kinshasa, when armed men stormed a minister's home before entering the Palais de la Nation, where Tshisekedi's offices are located.
The incident also comes at a time of renewed fighting in eastern DRC, where the Congolese army is trying to retake territory recaptured by Rwanda-backed M23 (23 March) rebels.
The new government announced itself at around 2 a.m. local time (1 a.m. GMT) and appointed Guy Kabombo Muadiambita as defense minister, a key post at a time when Congo faces a serious security crisis in the east.
Tshisekedi, who has been in power since 2019, was re-elected in the first round of December's presidential election with more than 70% of the vote, but his “sacred national coalition” platform still did not allow him to immediately form a government.
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“This is a coalition of different parties and there have been consultations and compromises,” presidential communications director Eric Nindu said, explaining why it took so long to form a government.
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