... was President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1971, and Zaire from 1971 to 1997. He was notorious for corruption, nepotism, and the embezzlement of between US$4 billion and $15 billion during his rule. He was known for extravagances such as shopping trips to Paris, travelling by Concorde.
In 1960, as the Belgian Congo prepared for independence, the left–wing African nationalist Patrice Lumumba led the National Congolese Movement to victory in a general election. Shortly afterwards there was a mutiny in the army, and Lumumba appealed to the United States and the United Nations for help to suppress the Belgian–supported Katangan secessionists led by Moïse Tshombe. Both refused, due to Lumumba's perceived pro-communist views. These suspicions deepened when Lumumba turned to the Soviet Union for assistance, which the CIA described as a "classic communist takeover". This led to growing differences with President Joseph Kasa–Vubu, and the army's Chief of Staff, Joseph–Désiré Mobutu (as he was then known). Mobutu, supported by both Belgium and the United States, deposed Lumumbu and installed a government that arranged for his execution in 1961. He continued to lead the country's armed forces until he took power directly in a second coup in 1965.
To consolidate his power, Mobutu established the Popular Movement of the Revolution as the sole legal political party in 1967. He changed the country's name to Zaire in 1971, and his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko the following year. In the words of Wikipedia, "he developed a regime that was intensely autocratic even by African standards of his time. He attempted to purge the country of all colonial cultural influence through his program of 'national authenticity'. Mobutu was the object of a pervasive cult of personality. During his rule, he amassed a large personal fortune through economic exploitation and corruption, leading some to call his rule a 'kleptocracy'. He presided over a period of widespread human rights violations. Under his rule, the nation also suffered from uncontrolled inflation, a large debt, and massive currency devaluations.
"Mobutu received strong support (military, diplomatic and economic) from the United States, France, and Belgium, who believed he was a strong opponent of communism in Francophone Africa. He also built close ties with the governments of apartheid South Africa, Israel and the Greek military junta. From 1972 onward he was also supported by Mao Zedong of China, mainly due to his anti–Soviet stance."
In 1976 he abolished secret voting in elections, in favour of a system of acclamation at mass rallies. In 1993 his decision to pay the regular army with banknotes that were almost worthless resulted in mutiny and widespread rioting, forcing the French and Belgian governmnents to intervene.
By 1990, faced with economic deterioration and unrest, Mobutu agreed to share power with opposition leaders, but he continued to oppose constitutional reforms initiated by his Prime Minister, Etienne Tshisekedi. In 1994 his personal fortune was estimated at between $3 and $4 billion, and more money was spent on the presidency than on the entire social services budget. But Mobutu used the army to thwart change until May 1997, when rebel forces led by Laurent–Désiré Kabila overran the country and forced him into exile. Already suffering from advanced prostate cancer, he died three months later in Morocco.
© Macclesfield Quiz League 2022