Vol 38 No 8 | CONGO-KINSHASA Kabila yaka! 11th April 1997 A bizarre coalition of money and Marxism lies behind the AFDL's phenomenal success Several 'companions of the road' have given their support to 59 year-old Laurent-Désiré Kabila's political struggle. They are an odd bunch, from Maoist guerrillas to Wall Street investors...
Vol 38 No 8 | CONGO-KINSHASAGREAT LAKES Across the lake 11th April 1997 Burundian rebels may have lost part of their Zaïrean safe-haven but they fight on and have even acquired a navy. On 25 March, the Hutu hardline Forces pour...
Vol 38 No 7 | CONGO-KINSHASA Kabila's long march 28th March 1997 Mobutu is going and Zaïreans are asking questions about his would-be successors As they go from victory to victory, Laurent-Désiré Kabila and his forces are having to face some tough political questions: firstly, about the composition of their Alliance des...
Vol 38 No 7 | CONGO-KINSHASA The new order 28th March 1997 The 'government' or Executive Committee of the Alliances des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo-Zaïre, which now administers about a quarter of the country, has ten members:...
Vol 38 No 6 | CONGO-KINSHASA A bend in the river 14th March 1997 The coming fall of Kisangani is concentrating minds on who and what comes after Mobutu Even government officials say it is only a matter of time before Zaïre's third city, Kisangani, and the military headquarters based there fall into rebel hands. Rebels have...
Vol 38 No 5 | CONGO-KINSHASA Cape town crisis 28th February 1997 President Mobutu Sese Seko and his government may believe that the negotiations in Cape Town with Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo-Zaïre officials are the...
Vol 38 No 3 | CONGO-KINSHASA Outside agents 31st January 1997 Prime Minister Kengo wa Dondo's claims of military successes in the Forces Armées Zaïroises' 'massive counter-offensive' against rebels in Kivu Province seem overblown. Less than a week after...
Vol 38 No 1 | CONGO-KINSHASA Digging in 3rd January 1997 Kinshasa's talk of a counter-offensive means little as the rebels score strategic victories The strategic town of Bunia, on the north-eastern border with Sudan and Uganda, fell to rebel forces on 26 December. This was a stinging blow to President Mobutu...
Vol 37 No 25 | CONGO-KINSHASA Mining for trouble 13th December 1996 As Zaïre's rebels capture mineral-rich lands, mining companies may have to pay up The rebels keep advancing. One of their techniques is to announce the capture of a town before they attack it, causing panic and disorder among their enemies, as...
Vol 37 No 24 | CONGO-KINSHASA A hard homecoming 29th November 1996 Without foreign help Mobutu will not be able to quell the eastern rebellion or rein in his quarrelling generals President Mobutu Sese Seko's heralded return home will do little to turn the tide of defeat and demoralisation. While he retains some authority over the government - he...