Gen. Denis Sassou-Nguesso, the victor in Republic of Congo's four-month civil war, returned Thursday to the capital his troops helped destroy and asked the world's help in rebuilding it.
In a refrain heard often in this region, where armed force has driven three leaders from power in the past five months, Sassou-Nguesso said it was up to the country's civilians and the international community to help restore the war-battered country."We fought the enemy and we have won, the criminals fled. Now we have to get Brazzaville back on its feet, we must restore brotherhood, we must work together and listen to each other," he told thousands of supporters.
He arrived in the rain-soaked city in a 60-car convoy of new Mercedes and other gleaming cars seized from his predecessor's government.
"Congo must become what it used to be," said Sassou-Nguesso, the former military dictator who first led Republic of Congo from 1979-91.
Sassou-Nguesso spoke from the damaged remains of his Brazzaville house, where the war with President Pascal Lissouba began June 5. Fighting broke out when Lissouba, who defeated Sassou-Nguesso in the country's first multiparty election in 1992, attempted to disarm Sassou-Nguesso's private Cobra militia before presidential elections planned for July.
Both men planned to run, and Lissouba said he wanted to disarm the militia - formed in response to past political violence - to ensure a peaceful campaign. Sassou-Nguesso accused him of using the move as a ploy to spark violence so he would have a reason to cancel the vote and prolong his hold on power.
Lissouba has gone into exile in Burkina Faso but has yet to concede defeat.
Angolan forces, trying to counter Lissouba's support for Angolan rebel groups, played a major role in Sassou-Nguesso's victory.