The Republic of Congo continued to be ruled by a transitional
government that came to power by force of arms in October 1997.
President Denis Sassou-Nguesso wields executive power without
meaningful legislative or judicial constraints. Forces
supporting Sassou-Nguesso, a northerner, defeated those of
former president Pascal Lissouba, a southerner, with the help of
Angolan troops in 1997. Sassou-Nguesso's principal base of
political support lay in the sparsely populated northern region
of the country and in particular among his minority Mbochi
ethnic group. Lissouba was elected democratically in 1992 after
28 years of one-party rule, including a lengthy period (1979-91)
during which Sassou-Nguesso served as President. Lissouba's
administration was characterized by severe mismanagement and by
recurring clashes among militia forces loyal to the country's
major political leaders. A civil war began when Lissouba's
forces surrounded Sassou-Nguesso's home in June 1997, in an
apparent attempt to eliminate his politic