Fifteen months after the civil war ended, Congo's president finally plucked up the courage this week to visit Kisangani, one of the main towns in the east of the country. Joseph Kabila touted his trip as proof that the country was united and calm again under his leadership. He was greeted by roads lined with palm fronds and festive crowds chanting: "we are liberated." Congo's 50m or so people are a patriotic lot, and nowhere more so than in the "City of Martyrs", which was ravaged and looted by Rwandan and Ugandan troops during the war of 1998-2003, as well as by their local proxies. Mr Kabila tapped into popular hopes by announcing that Congo would no longer tolerate foreign invaders. He also re-iterated a commitment to hold proper elections next year, for the first time since 1960. He even promised to pay civil servants, who have not received their salaries for years.
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