KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in Saturday following a disputed December election, promising to unite the Central African country during his second five-year term and to protect lives in the conflict-hit eastern region.

“I am taking back the baton of command that you entrusted to me. We want a more united, stronger and prosperous Congo,†Tshikedi, 60, said during the inauguration ceremony in Kinshasa attended by several heads of state. His first inauguration in 2019 marked Congo’s first democratic transfer of power since the country's independence from Belgium in 1960.

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