Kabila’s Body Returned to Congo, Where Family, Comrades Mourn

The body of slain Congolese President Laurent Kabila was returned Saturday to the town that was once his power base, where family and comrades mourned ahead of a state funeral in the capital, Kinshasa.

Kabila’s son, Joseph, quickly installed by the government as the new president, did not attend the ceremony in Lubumbashi. He remained in Kinshasa, where the body will be flown today to lie in state before a funeral Tuesday.

Officials have said Joseph Kabila will be formally inaugurated soon, but no date has been announced.

Meanwhile, the Rwandan army reported Saturday that its positions in southeastern Congo were briefly fired upon by a government rocket launcher, the first such attack since Kabila’s death. A defense spokesman said there were no casualties.