Joseph Kabila
 | |
| Became President: | January 17, 2001 |
| Predecessor: | Laurent Kabila |
| Date of Birth: | 1971 |
| Place of Birth: | |
Joseph Kabila became president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the assassination of his father Laurent-Desire Kabila in January 2001. He has attempted to end the civil war and remove foreign troops from the country, with some success. Following a peace agreement, an interim administration was set up in 2003, including the leaders of the country's two main rebel groups as vice-presidents (two other vice-presidents are representatives of the civilian opposition and government supporters respectively). Proposals have been made to hold elections before the end of 2005.
On March 28, 2004, a coup attempt against him, allegedly organized by supporters of the late president Mobutu Sese Seko, failed.