Mobutu Sese Seko, << moh BOO too SAY say SAY koh >> (1930-1997), was president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997. That year, rebel forces overthrew Mobutu, and he fled the country. Rebel leader Laurent Kabila then proclaimed himself president and renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
For more than 25 years, Mobutu had complete power. Until 1990, Zaire had only one political party, which supported Mobutu’s policies. That year, Mobutu announced governmental reforms under which opposition parties were allowed to form. In 1991, a national conference was held to rewrite the Constitution and prepare for multiparty elections. However, Mobutu suspended the conference several times.
In 1991, Mobutu agreed to share power with a prime minister and a cabinet. In 1992, a national conference elected a prime minister, cabinet, and a legislature. However, in 1993, Mobutu dismissed the prime minister and cabinet, and a new prime minister was appointed. But the previous prime minister refused to accept the dismissal. Mobutu died on Sept. 7, 1997. For more details, see Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Recent developments) .
Mobutu was born on Oct. 14, 1930, in the village of Lisala, in what was then called the Belgian Congo. He served in the Belgian colonial army from 1949 to 1956. In June 1960, the Belgian Congo became an independent nation with the name Congo. In July, Mobutu became chief of staff of his country’s army. He took control of the government in September, after disputes between civilian leaders began. Mobutu returned control of the government to civilians in February 1961. Left-wing rebellions began in Congo in 1964. In November 1965, Mobutu took control of the government again and became president. In 1971, Congo was renamed Zaire.
Mobutu’s original name was Joseph Désiré Mobutu. In 1972, he adopted the name Mobutu Sese Seko, shortly before he ordered all people in his country who had European names to adopt African names.
