Word: kabila
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...Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, finally came to an end on Thursday, when his three top generals asked for an urgent meeting. The trio was uncharacteristically blunt. They told Mobutu they could no longer protect him or the capital of Kinshasa from the approaching rebel army of Laurent Desire Kabila, and that if Mobutu valued his life he should flee. A commander had driven to the front east of Kinshasa that morning and concluded that government soldiers would not fight to save Mobutu's crumbling regime...
...even before Mobutu left the capital, it was clear who was actually in power. U.S. intelligence sources said that throughout last week top army commanders were calling rebel leader Kabila, who already controlled three-quarters of the country, to pledge their allegiance. On Saturday morning Kabila's ragtag forces marched into the capital without serious opposition and by that night had taken full control. Hundreds of Zairians took to the streets, many of them wearing white headbands and holding palm fronds as signs of support. "Congo libere!" they shouted. "We are free! Kabila is here...
While there were some killings--four of Mobutu's generals were reportedly murdered by their own men--the chaotic looting and mayhem that many had feared never occurred. Speaking from his headquarters at Lubumbashi, Kabila, 56, said he would "assume from now the functions of the head of state." He added, "I am happy, very happy to succeed." He said he would form a transitional government by Tuesday and promised a new constitution within 60 days for the country that he renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo...
...jointly invaded Congo to eliminate the Hutu militias, known as the Interahamwe, that had been responsible for the Rwandan genocide and were hiding in Congo's eastern forests. As the invading armies advanced across the country, Mobutu fled, and the invaders installed a small-time rebel leader named Laurent Kabila as President...
...things got worse. In 1998, after Kabila got too friendly with the Interahamwe, Uganda and Rwanda invaded Congo again, triggering what became known as Africa's first world war. The scramble for power and resources dragged in forces from at least eight African neighbors, spawned a myriad of Congolese factions and set off campaigns of ethnic cleansing. Kabila, as nasty and corrupt as his predecessor, was shot dead by one of his bodyguards in 2001. His son Joseph, 29, assumed power. One year later, after some arm twisting by continental power South Africa (whose leaders recognize the crucial role Congo...