He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, president laurentdesire kabila. Unanswered questions surround kabilas assassination by chris talbot 25 january 2001 thirty days of official mourning began in the democratic republic of. Jan 23, 2001 joseph kabila, the young and littleknown son of slain congolese leader laurent kabila, was sworn in friday as president of this wardivided central african nation, 10 days after the assassination. Laurentdesire kabila bio, facts, family famous birthdays. Jan 07, 2011 laurent desire kabila etait au pouvoir depuis quatre ans, lorsquil a ete assassine. Laurent kabila, in full laurent desire kabila, born 1939, jadotville, belgian congo now likasi, democratic republic of the congodied january 18. He was born a luba in former belgian congo in 1939, and studied political philosophy in france and tanzania. Missionary atlas project africa democratic republic of the. Few figures emerge on the world stage as suddenly as laurent kabila did in the last months of 1996. Monument to african dictator laurent kabila kinshasa.
Laurentdesire kabila, then president of the democratic republic of congo, was assassinated in his office, apparently by a noncommissioned officer in his guard. Consequent upon the assassination of my husband, i am in possession of usd 20,000,000 twenty million dbeing funds secured by my late husband for his personal use, which is in my care. Laurent kabila president of democratic republic of the. The man who led this alliance, laurent kabila, became the selfproclaimed president of the renamed democratic republic of the congo. Laurentdesire kabila is credited as politician, president of zaire, democratic republic of congo. What follows, then, hopes to combine a critique of these.
It is a measure of the speed with which he made his appearance that there were literally hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles about him in the united states and. Following failed peace talks between mobutu and kabila in. Second congo war wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Laurent kabila born 1939 was the president of the central african nation called democratic republic of congo formerly zaire from 19972001. It is a measure of the speed with which he made his appearance that there were literally hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles about him in the united states and britain during the first half. A reporter at large about the decay of the democratic republic of congo. Jan 17, 2001 laurent kabila seemed like a saviour when he and his supporters fought their way across what was then the devastated nation called zaire in 1996 and 1997. Writer describes the decay in kinshasa and the rise of laurentdesire kabila. It is a measure of the speed with which he made his appearance that there were literally hundreds of. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Whereas some of the conflicts along this path started decades ago, a new phase involving more than a dozen states has now begun.
The afdl, now seeking the broader goal of ousting mobutu, made significant military gains in early 1997. Some may have been coerced into joining these forces, but many others. Laurentdesire kabila, or simply laurent kabila, was a congolese revolutionary and politician who served as the third president of the democratic republic of the congo from may 17, 1997, when he overthrew mobutu sese seko, until his assassination by one of his bodyguards on january 16, 2001. He consolidated power around himself and the afdl and renamed the country the democratic republic of the congo d. The public prosecutor has called for the death penalty for 115. Unanswered questions surround kabila s assassination by chris talbot 25 january 2001 thirty days of official mourning began in the democratic republic of congo drc following the. Introduction a continental war has begun in africa. Democratic republic of congo from assassination to state murder. James kabarebe rwandan minister of defense speaks of the days he was drc army chief of staff duration. Joseph kabila, son of the late laurent desire kabila, speaks a far more peaceful language than that of his bellicose father. Laurent kabila, leader of a rebellion that overthrew president mobutu sese seko of zaire in may 1997. Laurentdesire kabila is the president of the central african nation called democratic republic of congo formerly zaire. The official name today is democratic republic of congo but through its history, the region has gone by the names of congo free state, belgian congo, congoleopoldville, congokinshasa, and zaire.
On january 16, 2001, laurent kabila was assassinated, allegedly by a member of his personal bodyguard corps who was in turn killed by an aidedecamp. Mobutu s successor, laurentdesire kabila, also had an agenda for the drc. It is a measure of the speed with which he made his. Laurent kabila has the support of civilians as well as soldiers. Who is joseph kabila and did he assassinate his father. Laurent desire kabila mr kabila named himself president of congo kinshasa on 17 may 1997, after leading a sevenmonth tutsi rebellion to an overthrow of president mobutu. He was succeeded eight days later by his 29yearold son joseph. Having taken over kinshasa by the force of arms after seven months of a virtually unchallenged long march, kabila proclaimed himself president of a country he renamed the democratic republic of the congo, or drc. Communication 27403 and 28203 democratic republic of congo.
Laurent kabila, the selfproclaimed president of the democratic republic of congo who is widely reported to have been shot dead, aged about 60, in. Jan 18, 2001 laurent kabila, the selfproclaimed president of the democratic republic of congo who is widely reported to have been shot dead, aged about 60, in an apparent coup attempt, was briefly hailed as a. In the days following this assassination, several persons were. Missionary atlas project africa democratic republic of the congo formerly zaire basic facts name. This is linked to the view that kabila has made an alliance with the exfar and interahamwe.
Laurent desire kabila marched into kinshasa on may 17, 1997, and declared himself president. Baada ya kifo cha adrien, laurent kabila alimchukua marcelina, mke wa kanambe. At the time of his death in 2001, peace had not been restored, and misery remained a way of life. Towering in the middle of a traffic circle in kinshasa, democratic republic of the congo, is a roughly 25foot tall statue of a bald headed, dour looking, laurent kabila, the former despotic. Le 16 janvier 2001, laurentdesire kabila est assassine dans. Wabembe walitishia kummaliza kabisa laurent desire kabila. Five years later, on 17 may 1997, laurent desire kabila changed all of this by a stroke of the pen. When he pro claimed himself president in 1997, he promised to bring peace and stability to the country and improve the lives of millions of his fellow congolese. It reaches almost without interruption from the red sea to the atlantic ocean.
Deborah kabila, one of the wives of late president. Jan 18, 2001 laurentdesire kabila, president of the democratic republic of congo, who has been assassinated aged 61, was a cheerful, rubicund rogue, portly in middle age, who spent most of his life in exile. Pdf drc is starting to implement its governance programme and planning to revisit. Laurentdesire kabila biography, birth date, birth place and. Missionary atlas project africa democratic republic of. Introduction almost two years on from the assassination of president laurent desire kabila in january 2001, the trial of his suspected assassins and their accomplices appears to be entering its final stages. The murder of laurentdesire kabila on 16 january 2001, allegedly by one of. Laurent desire kabila, then president of the democratic republic of congo, was assassinated in his office, apparently by a noncommissioned officer in his. He subsequently became president and restored the countrys former name, democratic republic of the congo. The complainants submit that on 16 january 2001, mr. The war which brought laurentdesire kabila and his alliance des forces. The performance of laurent desire kabilas government i. The exiled kabila, who lives in cape town and boasts 3,588 friends on facebook, maintains that he is in fact the biological son of the slain laurent kabila and that joseph was adopted child from a.
Following the death of president laurent desire kabila in january 2001, the democratic. At the 35th ordinary session, the commission decided to merge communications 27403 interights and asadho v. Deborah kabila, one of the wives of late president laurent d. They also claim to recognise the right of uganda and rwanda to take necessary steps to attain secure borders. Nov 21, 2011 baada ya kifo cha adrien, laurent kabila alimchukua marcelina, mke wa kanambe. But he will not be able to deliver peace alone, and there are already signs that the many parties to the war in the democratic republic of congo are heading for renewed confrontation. Before his assassination on january 16, 2001, laurent desire kabilathe president of the democratic republic of congo drcmade a deal with the gertler gang that would play out in favor of the current president joseph kabila and, it seems, be a central factor in relation to both congos ongoing war and the bloody warlords battle in. With the goal of forcibly ousting mobutu, the afdl, supported by rwanda and uganda, began a military campaign toward kinshasa. Strong per sonality, he is responsible for the balubakat youth the balu bas of katanga, his ethnic group since 1959, even before the rich mineral province of the south of zaire cedes, on the eve. Democratic republic of congo amnesty international. Laurentdesire kabila, to diminish this influence eventually prompted. His popularity has increased considerably among the civilian population, which played an important role during the fighting in kinshasa. Adoring crowds saluted him everywhere he went they believed the littleknown laurent kabila would set them free from the poverty and corruption of the decades of dictatorship under former. Laurent kabila seemed like a saviour when he and his supporters fought their way across what was then the devastated nation called zaire in 1996 and 1997.
Kabila and his colleagues have tapped on sensitive ethnic reflexes to win them over, even calling for the lynching of the tutsi invaders. Kabila was born into the luba tribe in the southern province of katanga. Join facebook to connect with laurent desire kabila and others you may know. Laurent kabila born 1939 is the president of the central african nation called democratic republic of congo formerly zaire. The longawaited trial of the 116 suspects in the assassination of the late president laurent desire kabila began on the morning of 02 april 2002.
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