SOMS

[congo]
Democratic Republic of Congo officially confirms Kabila is dead

Blocks Identified by Clustering

[D] President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo died Thursday, two days after being shot at his presidential palace in Kinshasa, officials said here as his son pressed ahead with governing the war-wracked central African nation.
[B] The declaration ended two days of confusion created by Western and African states saying they believed Kabila was dead and Kinshasa officially denying that was so.
[I] Government spokesman Sakombi did not clarify the circumstances of Kabila's shooting, saying only that the president had been victim of an "attack".
[G] "People of the Congo, my dear compatriots ... (I have) the deep regret and the sad task to tell you the death of the president of the republic ... Laurent Kabila died Thursday at 10 o'clock," government spokesman Sakombi Inongo said.
[A] Rebels have called for national dialogue and a new transition government.
[J] The head of a rebel alliance, Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Congo Liberation Front, said Congo forces bombed rebel positions in the north of the country late Thursday.
[C] Kabila's son and the former head of the country's armed forces, Joseph Kabila, 32, who Wednesday was put in charge of the country, earlier Thursday met diplomats from Belgium, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, government spokesman Sakombi said.
[F] Government spokesman Sakombi said the late leader had left a testament ordering the armed forces, police and security forces to respect discipline and to remain peaceful and calm, to protect the population and to "kick out the aggressors out of the national territory," in reference to Rwanadan- and Ugandan-backed rebels in the east of the country.
[E] The Democratic Republic of Congo was formerly known as Zaire and gained its independence from Belgium in 1960.
[H] Kabila took power in the African nation in 1997 in a coup, toppling dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. He has been fighting a civil war since August 1998, when rebel forces, backed by Kabila's former allies, turned against him.

[D]	President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo died Thursday, two days after being shot at his presidential palace in Kinshasa, officials said here as his son pressed ahead with governing the war-wracked central African nation.
[B]	The declaration ended two days of confusion created by Western and African states saying they believed Kabila was dead and Kinshasa officially denying that was so.
[I]	Government spokesman Sakombi did not clarify the circumstances of Kabila's shooting, saying only that the president had been victim of an "attack".
[G]	"People of the Congo, my dear compatriots ... (I have) the deep regret and the sad task to tell you the death of the president of the republic ... Laurent Kabila died Thursday at 10 o'clock," government spokesman Sakombi Inongo said.
[A]	Rebels have called for national dialogue and a new transition government.
[J]	The head of a rebel alliance, Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Congo Liberation Front, said Congo forces bombed rebel positions in the north of the country late Thursday.
[C]	Kabila's son and the former head of the country's armed forces, Joseph Kabila, 32, who Wednesday was put in charge of the country, earlier Thursday met diplomats from Belgium, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, government spokesman Sakombi said.
[F]	Government spokesman Sakombi said the late leader had left a testament ordering the armed forces, police and security forces to respect discipline and to remain peaceful and calm, to protect the population and to "kick out the aggressors out of the national territory," in reference to Rwanadan- and Ugandan-backed rebels in the east of the country.
[E]	The Democratic Republic of Congo was formerly known as Zaire and gained its independence from Belgium in 1960.
[H]	Kabila took power in the African nation in 1997 in a coup, toppling dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. He has been fighting a civil war since August 1998, when rebel forces, backed by Kabila's former allies, turned against him.