Body of slain African leader heads home

The body of slain Congolese president Laurent Kabila has been flown to the provinicial capital Lubumbashi.

The casket will lie in state before being flown to the state's capital, Kinshasa on Tuesday.

The president's body was flown back from Zimbabwe where Mr Kabila received treatment after being shot in Kinshasa on Tuesday.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, one of Kabila's key allies, viewed the president's body on Friday night and declared three days of official mourning in Zimbabwe.

Mr Mugabe also said his troops would continue to defend Congo from what he termed "acts of aggression".

State television and The Herald, the main state controlled newspaper, said Zimbabwe military chiefs, Congolese officials and diplomats accompanied Mugabe in paying their last respects to Mr Kabila.

State television showed footage of military officers filing past Mr Kabila's open coffin to glance at him and lower their heads.

Mr Mugabe said Zimbabwe would continue to support peace efforts to end the two-and-a-half-year Congolese civil war, but would continue to defend the government against Congolese rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda, The Herald said. Zimbabwe has 11,000 troops, backed by air power and armour, fighting alongside Congolese forces.

Mr Kabila's son Joseph, who was named the temporary head of government after his father was shot, "assumes the permanent responsibilities as head of the government and the army," says Congolese Communications Minister Dominique Sakombi.

Cabinet officials thrust Kabila's son into power on Wednesday to fill the power vacuum that threatens to throw Africa's third largest nation into even more turmoil.