27 YEARS AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF DICTATOR MOBUTU SESE SEKO'S REGIME IN ZAIRE

 

In the year 1960, Congo gained independence from colonial power Belgium, it was part of a continental struggle to free Africa from colonial rule, exploitation of the continent, and freedom from oppressive tendencies..In the Congo was the Pan-Africanist Patrice Emery Lumumba who played a crucial role in the independence of the East African nation when he was elected Prime Minister of the Country after independence in 1960 alongside President Joseph Kasuvubu, in the events leading to that occasion of a newly independent Congo, was the story a young man in his early 30’s named Joseph desire Mobutu who studied and practiced Journalism who was initially conscripted into the Congolese national army by colonial authorities was appointed as an aide to new Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba who later appointed him Secretary of State in the new post-independent Congo..At the formation of the new Congolese national army after independence he was appointed as Chief of Staff due to his earlier background in the colonial army, that decision ultimately paved the way for his accession to the throne in the space of 5 years.

At independence Congo was beset by internal conflicts with power brokers at the time when Mobutu assumed power as head of the Congolese army, he arranged for the arrest and deposition of Prime Minister Lumumba who was ferried to the Katanga province later slaughtered by Mobutu’s forces, after removing the Prime Minister, Joseph Desire Mobutu bided his time and later orchestrated the overthrow of the Congolese Government in 1965 thereby assumed full powers as the Head of State of Congo, where he assumed full dictatorship through carefully eliminating perceived threats to his administration with the support of western powers.

From 1965 to 1971 Mobutu consolidated his grip on power by proclaiming himself the absolute monarch of Congo assuming full powers of State, 1971 he renamed his country from Congo to Zaire, changed his name from Joseph Desire Mobutu to Mobutu Soese Seko Waza Banga, renaming cities from their colonial names to Lubumbashi, etc, also forming his party the MPR which he declared as the sole political party in the newly formed Zaire, he controlled every lever of Power in Zaire from mass processions in his honour, embezzling state resources, to his designated photographs and images adorning every part of Zaire.

In 1974 he hosted the Rumble in the Jungle Boxing match by Muhammed Ali which put his country in the International spotlight, Zaire is a very endowed nation with huge mineral deposits and a large landmass though unfortunately, it has not lived up to its true potential as a Nation up till today.

Mobutu was notorious for Drinking Human Blood, voodooism, and hiring marabouts to consolidate his grip on power, he also assassinated key opponents to his rule and executed Renegade soldiers who wanted to overthrow his Government.

In some instances Mobutu ordered his forces to close down a University in Kinshasa after protests by students and riots against his regime, he later shot, and abducted the students subsequently forcing their conscription to the Congolese National Army…The country under Mobutu’s leadership suffered from huge economic challenges from mounting public debts, widespread poverty, corruption, neglect of infrastructure, especially roads riddled with potholes, and poor healthcare facilities and water supply across the country, instead, he promoted his cronies, tribal clan members and his families with the wealth of Zaire.

After 20 years of Marxist-Leninist One party rule and dictatorship in Zaire in 1991 after the end of the Cold War, Mobutu succumbed to both local and international pressure by announcing a National constitutional conference and later opening the doors for Multi-party democracy in the Country in later events there was massive looting in the Capital Kinshasa by Soldiers who complained of unpaid salaries by his regime, also some hungry citizens joined in this disorderly conduct...In quick succession tragedy hit his family by losing 2 children in tragic circumstances, Mobutu began to recuse himself from the public glare something he was famous for in the early years of his regime by retreating mostly to his Gbadolite home township a community he invested hundreds of millions of dollars in rebuilding by providing roads, electricity, hospitals, schools, Coca-Cola Bottling plants he would later build a palatial mansion his Gbadolite homestead where he stayed most during the last days of his regime.

Mobutu Sese Seko was regarded as one of the most corrupt heads of State in History, stealing an estimated  $5B from his state treasury when the Rwanda Genocide occurred in 1994 he opened the doors for Rwandan refugees from the neighboring country, this decision was the genesis of the rebellion that led to the collapse of his regime his opposing forces led by Laurent Desire Kabila with support from Rwanda, Uganda capitalised on that loophole to stage a rebellion that later resulted in the country being plunged into a crisis with Kabila forces taking nearly half of Zaire, though efforts to bring peace to the country were futile even after then South African President Nelson Mandela trying brokering peace to no avail...

On the 17^th of May 1997, Kabila forces overran the capital Kinshasa which resulted in already defeated Mobutu surrendering due to his ill health which he suffered from prostrate cancer, also poorly quipped, demoralized Soldiers who were already defecting from the Army due to poor morale and owed salaries...He later fled and his regime collapsed in 1997, Mobutu’s family initially settled in Togo but after the refusal of then President Gyanssigbe Eyadema to accommodate Mobutu due to international pressure, Mobutu left Togo and found a haven in Rabat Morocco where he settled to attend to his health crisis and unfortunately he passed on in September 1997 at age 66 years buried in Morocco that incident marked the end of one of Africa’s longest archetypal dictatorship that lasted for 32 years from (1965-1997)