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Vol 41 No 17

Published 1st September 2000


Congo-Kinshasa

Bemba's boys

The Mouvement de Libération du Congo was formed between late 1998 and early 1999 around Jean-Pierre Bemba, a huge man who stands some 1.90 metres tall and weighs perhaps 120 kilogrammes, and once ran an airline and a cellular telephone company. Since his business interests were in Uganda, he refused the protection of General Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and in September 1998 asked President Yoweri Museveni to give him and some 150 Congolese some military training. After the MLC was set up Laurent Kabila appointed Bemba's father, ex-Mobutu Sese Seko minister Jeannot Bemba Saolona, as Economy Minister. He sacked him two months ago.

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