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Former Congolese rebel chief takes up government post

[Congo] Former chief rebel Ntoumi answer press questions in Nkampa, 40 km south of Brazzaville, Congo, June 2006. Laudes Martial Mbon/IRIN
The former rebel leader, known as Pastor Ntoumi, has been nominated to a post in the Brazzaville government
    BRAZZAVILLE

    Former Congolese rebel chief and leader of the Conseil national des républicains (CNR), Frédéric Bintsamou - also known as Pasteur Ntoumi - has finally taken up a government post aimed at restoring stability in the southern Pool region over two years after his appointment.



    Since September 2007 there had been a political deadlock, in part arising from a dispute between him and the government over the number of ex-combatants allowed to accompany him to Brazzaville for the swearing-in ceremony.



    "It is true that there were biases at the start but we are not blaming anyone," Ntoumi said on 28 December during the ceremony, adding that joint CNR and government efforts had led to its success.



    According to observers, Ntoumi's arrival in the capital, along with the process of demobilizing ex-combatants in the Pool region, should help improve peace in the region. A peace accord was signed in 2003.



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    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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