128-460: Early political career Presidency Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga ( / m ə b uː ˈ t uː ˈ s ɛ s eɪ ˈ s ɛ k oʊ / ; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu ; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997), often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS , was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the 1st and only President of Zaire from 1971 to 1997. Previously, Mobutu served as
256-411: A coup d'état if he were given power. The latter was perceived as calmer and more thoughtful. Lumumba saw Mpolo as courageous, but favored Mobutu's prudence. As the discussions continued, the cabinet began to divide according to who they preferred to serve as chief of staff. Lumumba wanted to keep both men in his government and wished to avoid upsetting one of their camps of supporters. In the end Mobutu
384-574: A marshy , alluvial plain , with altitudes ranging from 275 to 300 meters, along with hilly terrain that elevates from 310 to 370 meters. The city has four principal features: the Malebo Pool, a vast expanse of water with islands and islets; the Kinshasa Plain, which is a highly urbanizable space , but susceptible to drainage issues; the Terrace, which is a series of low ridges overlooking the plain; and
512-618: A natural border with the Republic of the Congo ; to the south lies the Kongo Central Province . Across the river sits Brazzaville , the smaller capital of the neighboring Republic of the Congo, forming the world's second-closest pair of capital cities despite being separated by a four-kilometer-wide unbridged span of the Congo River. Kinshasa also functions as one of the 26 provinces of
640-587: A new government . He was captured by Mobutu's troops in early December, and incarcerated at his headquarters in Thysville. However, Mobutu still considered him a threat, and transferred him to the rebelling State of Katanga on 17 January 1961. Lumumba disappeared from public view. It was later discovered that he was executed the same day by the secessionist forces of Moise Tshombe , after Mobutu's government turned him over. On 23 January 1961, Kasa-Vubu promoted Mobutu to major-general. Historian De Witte argues that this
768-464: A waterway it provides a means of transport for much of the Congo Basin ; it is navigable for river barges between Kinshasa and Kisangani ; many of its tributaries are also navigable. The river is an important source of hydroelectric power , and downstream from Kinshasa it has the potential to generate power equivalent to the usage of roughly half of Africa's population. Topographically, Kinshasa has
896-542: 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
1024-581: A 1978 agreement with OTRAG, Mobutu gave the company a 25-year rented plot of land in Zaire. The first rocket, OTRAG-1 , was launched on May 18, 1977, while Mobutu watched from a distance. The rocket took off successfully, but shortly afterwards fell and crashed back down to the ground. List of presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo#List of officeholders This is a list of presidents of
1152-710: A Zairian child with a European name. Western attire and ties were banned, and men were forced to wear a Mao-style tunic known as an abacost (shorthand for à bas le costume , or "down with the suit"). Christmas was moved from December to June because it was more of an "authentic" date. In 1972, in accordance with his own decree of a year earlier, Mobutu renamed himself Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (meaning "The all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, goes from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his wake."). Around this time, he eschewed his military uniform in favor of what would become his classic image—the tall, imposing man carrying
1280-495: A campaign of pro-Africa cultural awareness, called authenticité , Mobutu began renaming cities that reflected the colonial past, starting on 1 June 1966: Léopoldville became Kinshasa, Elisabethville became Lubumbashi, and Stanleyville became Kisangani. In October 1971, he renamed the country as the Republic of Zaire . He ordered the people to change their European names to African ones, and priests were warned that they would face five years' imprisonment if they were caught baptizing
1408-518: A clay content typically below 20%, low organic matter , and absorbent complex saturation. The basement is composed of Precambrian bedrock , featuring finely stratified red sandstone often infused with feldspar . This rock is visible at the rapids' base near Mount Ngaliema and south of the N'djili River , and effectively withstands erosive forces. Kinshasa's vegetation comprises gallery forests , grassy formations , ruderal plant groups, and aquatic formations . These gallery forests, found along
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#17328589516061536-462: A culture of corruption and dishonesty among public servants of all kinds. Mobutu was known for his opulent lifestyle. He cruised on the Congo on his yacht Kamanyola . In Gbadolite , he erected a palace, the " Versailles of the jungle". For shopping trips to Paris, he would charter a Concorde from Air France ; he had the Gbadolite Airport constructed with a runway long enough to accommodate
1664-625: A deterioration of the overall budget balance. Nevertheless, the DRC's debt risk remains moderate, with public debt at 24.7% of GDP. The approval of the third review of the IMF program reflects the satisfactory performance of the country's reform efforts. Big manufacturing companies such as Marsavco S.A., All Pack Industries and Angel Cosmetics are located in the center of town (Gombe) in Kinshasa. There are many other industries, such as Trust Merchant Bank , located in
1792-512: A disarmingly casual way, Lumumba's most outrageous requests – that the UN should, for example, meet the pay roll of the potentially mutinous Congolese army. In those early days, Mobutu seemed a comparatively sensible young man, one who might even, at least now and then, have the best interests of his newly independent country at heart." Encouraged by a Belgian government intent on maintaining its access to rich Congolese mines, secessionist violence erupted in
1920-513: A fleet of Mercedes-Benz vehicles that he used to travel between his numerous palaces, while the nation's roads deteriorated and many of his people starved. The infrastructure virtually collapsed, and many public service workers went months without being paid. Most of the money was siphoned off to Mobutu, his family, and top political and military leaders. Only the Special Presidential Division – on whom his physical safety depended –
2048-537: A government that arranged for Lumumba's execution in 1961, and continued to lead the country's armed forces until he took power directly in a second coup in 1965. To consolidate his power, he established the Popular Movement of the Revolution as the sole legal political party in 1967, changed the Congo's name to Zaire in 1971, and his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko in 1972. Mobutu claimed that his political ideology
2176-467: A greater role for automobile transportation but did not predict the city's significant population growth. Thus much of the urban structure has developed without guidance from a master plan. According to UN-Habitat , the city is expanding by eight square kilometers per year. It describes many of the new neighborhoods as slums , built in unsafe conditions with inadequate infrastructure. Nevertheless, spontaneously developed areas have in many cases extended
2304-583: A hill commune with population verging on one million. In 2022, Kinshasa's GDP exceeded initial expectations by expanding 8.5%, as reported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The mining industry in the DRC has been instrumental in maintaining a positive economic outlook, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic . Raw material exports, particularly cobalt and copper , have experienced historically high prices, resulting in substantial investment in
2432-456: A large crowd at Léopoldville's main stadium that, since politicians had brought the Congo to ruin in five years, it would take him at least that long to set things right again, and therefore there would be no more political party activity for five years. On 30 November 1965 Parliament approved a measure which turned over most legislative powers to Mobutu and his cabinet, though it retained the right to review his decrees. In early March 1966 he opened
2560-553: A large majority in the March 1965 elections , but Kasa-Vubu appointed an anti-Tshombe leader, Évariste Kimba , as prime minister-designate. However, Parliament twice refused to confirm him. With the government in near-paralysis, Mobutu seized power in a bloodless coup on 24 November. He had turned 35 a month earlier. Under the auspices of a state of exception ( regime d'exception ), Mobutu assumed sweeping—almost absolute—powers for five years. In his first speech upon taking power, Mobutu told
2688-456: A man with great potential." Following the general election, Lumumba was tasked with creating a government. He gave Mobutu the office of Secretary of State to the Presidency. Mobutu held much influence in the final determination of the rest of the government. He lost private access to Lumumba following independence, as the new prime minister grew busy and surrounded by aides and colleagues, leading
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#17328589516062816-455: A military tribunal, and publicly executed in an open-air spectacle witnessed by over 50,000 people. Uprisings by former Katangan gendarmeries were crushed, as were the Stanleyville mutinies of 1967 led by white mercenaries. By 1970, nearly all potential threats to his authority had been smashed, and for the most part, law and order was brought to nearly all parts of the country. That year marked
2944-412: A new session of Parliament by declaring that he was revoking their right of review, and two weeks later his government permanently suspended the body and assumed all of its remaining functions. Initially, Mobutu's government presented itself as apolitical or even anti-political. The word "politician" carried negative connotations, and became almost synonymous with someone who was wicked or corrupt. In 1966
3072-401: A personal fortune estimated to be over US$ 50 million by selling his nation's rich natural resources while the people lived in poverty. While in office, he formed a totalitarian regime responsible for numerous human rights violations , attempted to purge the country of all Belgian cultural influences, and maintained an anti-communist stance to gain positive international support. Mobutu
3200-463: A range between 5.3 million and 7.3 million. In 2017, the most recent population estimate for the city, it has a population of 11,855,000. According to UN-Habitat, 390,000 people immigrate to Kinshasa annually, fleeing warfare and seeking economic opportunity. According to a projection (2016) the population of metropolitan Kinshasa will increase significantly, to 35 million by 2050, 58 million by 2075 and 83 million by 2100, making it one of
3328-614: A rebel leader during the 1964 Simba rebellion , was lured out of exile in Brazzaville on the belief that he would receive amnesty. Instead, he was tortured and killed by Mobutu's forces. While Mulele was still alive, his eyes were gouged out, his genitals were ripped off, and his limbs were amputated one by one. Mobutu later switched to a new tactic, buying off political rivals. He used the slogan "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer still" to describe his tactic of co-opting political opponents through bribery. A favorite Mobutu tactic
3456-412: A rebel uprising began, which in 1997 finally brought down the regime of Mobutu. Kinshasa suffered greatly from Mobutu's excesses, mass corruption, nepotism and the civil war that led to his downfall. Nevertheless, it is still a major cultural and intellectual center for Central Africa, with a flourishing community of musicians and artists. It is also the country's major industrial center, processing many of
3584-461: A reception for the Congolese delegation. Embassy staff were each assigned a list of delegation members to meet, and discussed their impressions afterward. The ambassador noted, "One name kept coming up. But it wasn't on anyone's list because he wasn't an official delegation member, he was Lumumba's secretary. But everyone agreed that this was an extremely intelligent man, very young, perhaps immature, but
3712-411: A spare moment. His favorites were the writings of French president Charles de Gaulle , British prime minister Winston Churchill , and Italian Renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli . After passing a course in accounting, Mobutu began to dabble professionally in journalism. Still angry after his clashes with the school priests, he did not marry in a church. His contribution to the wedding festivities
3840-465: A total 976,000 workers. Most new jobs are classified as informal. By the end of 2022, Kinshasa's foreign exchange reserves had seen a significant improvement, soaring past $ 4.5 billion. The DRC benefits from support and partnerships with several global organizations and financial institutions, including the IMF, World Bank , African Development Bank , European Union , China and France . The People's Republic of China has been heavily involved in
3968-403: A village named Kinshasa that once stood near the site. Kinshasa grew rapidly under Mobutu, drawing people from across the country who came in search of their fortunes or to escape ethnic strife elsewhere, thus adding to the many ethnicities and languages already found there. In 1991 the city had to fend off rioting soldiers , who were protesting the government's failure to pay them. Subsequently
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4096-492: A walking stick while wearing an abacost, thick-framed glasses, and leopard-skin toque . In 1974, a new constitution consolidated Mobutu's grip on the country. It defined the MPR as the "single institution" in the country. It was officially defined as "the nation politically organized"—in essence, the state was a transmission belt for the party. All citizens automatically became members of the MPR from birth. The constitution stated that
4224-556: Is DRC's first pedagogical university and one of Africa's top pedagogical universities. N'Djili International Airport is the largest airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and ranks 37th in Africa in terms of passengers carried, with 12 international flights per day. In December 2015, Kinshasa was designated as a City of Music by UNESCO and has been a member of the Creative Cities Network since then. Nsele Valley Park
4352-464: Is a city of sharp contrasts, with affluent residential and commercial areas and three universities alongside sprawling slums. The older and wealthier part of the city ( ville basse ) is located on a flat area of alluvial sand and clay near the river, while many newer areas are found on the eroding red soil of surrounding hills. Older parts of the city were laid out on a geometric pattern, with de facto racial segregation becoming de jure in 1929 as
4480-640: Is also home to three large universities and an arts school: Primary and secondary schools: In 2020, 93% of children over six attended school and 70% of people over 15 were literate in French. There are twenty hospitals in Kinshasa, plus various medical centers and polyclinics. Since 1991, Monkole Hospital is operating as a non-profit health institution collaborating with the Health Department as district hospital in Kinshasa. Directed by Pr Léon Tshilolo, paediatrician and haematologist , Monkole Hospital opened
4608-468: Is also the primate city of the DRC with a population several times larger than the next-largest city, Lubumbashi . The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known by its French acronym MONUSCO (formerly MONUC) has its headquarters in Kinshasa. In 2016, the UN placed more peacekeepers on active duty in Kinshasa in response to the unrest directed against Kabila, at that time. Critics, including recently
4736-504: Is flanked by the provinces of Mai-Ndombe , Kwilu , and Kwango to the east, while the Congo River delineates its western and northern boundaries, naturally demarcating the border with the Republic of the Congo . To the south, it is demarcated by the Kongo Central Province . The Congo River is the second longest river in Africa after the Nile and has the continent's greatest discharge . As
4864-515: Is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Once a site of fishing and trading villages along the Congo River , Kinshasa is now one of the world's fastest-growing megacities . Kinshasa's 2024 population was estimated at 17,032,322. It is the most densely populated city in the DRC , the most populous city in Africa , the world's fourth-most-populous capital city , Africa's third-largest metropolitan area , and
4992-505: Is the language of street signs, posters, newspapers, government documents, schools; it dominates plays, television, and the press, and it is used in vertical relationships among people of different social classes. People of the same class, however, speak the Congolese languages ( Kikongo , Lingala , Tshiluba or Swahili ) among themselves. Kinshasa hosted the 14th Francophonie Summit in October 2012. The head of Kinshasa ville-province has
5120-413: Is the largest urban park in Kinshasa, housing a range of fauna and flora . According to the 2016 annual ranking , Kinshasa is Africa's most expensive city for expatriate employees, ahead of close to 200 global locations. The origin of the name Kinshasa is rooted in multiple theories proposed by scholars. Paul Raymaekers, an anthropologist and ethnologist , suggests that the name derives from
5248-530: Is used as a lingua franca in the street. The city's inhabitants are popularly known as Kinois , with the term "Kinshasans" used in English terminology. The Kinshasa site has been inhabited by Bantus ( Teke , Humbu [ fr ] ) for centuries and was known as Nshasa before transforming into a commercial hub during the 19th and 20th centuries. The city was named Léopoldville by Henry Morton Stanley in honor of Leopold II of Belgium . The name
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5376-472: The Congo Free State , not as a colony but as his private property. The post flourished as the first navigable port on the Congo River above Livingstone Falls , a series of rapids over 300 kilometres (190 miles) below Leopoldville. At first, all goods arriving by sea or being sent by sea had to be carried by porters between Léopoldville and Matadi , the port below the rapids and 150 km (93 mi) from
5504-564: The Congo River and its principal left bank tributaries, traversing the city from south to north. These include the Lukunga , Ndjili , Nsele, Bombo, or Mai-Ndombe rivers and the Mbale. Unfortunately, these waterways are polluted due to the city's demographic pressures and inadequate sanitation. Geologically, the soil in Kinshasa is of the Arenoferrasol category, characterized by fine sands with
5632-408: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly the Republic of the Congo and Zaire ) since the country's independence in 1960. The current President is Félix Tshisekedi , since 24 January 2019. Elected unopposed Kinshasa Kinshasa ( / k ɪ n ˈ ʃ ɑː s ə / ; French: [kinʃasa] ; Lingala : Kinsásá ), formerly named Léopoldville until 30 June 1966,
5760-486: The International Monetary Fund for assistance. By 1990, economic deterioration and unrest forced Mobutu Sese Seko into coalition with his power opponents. Although he used his troops to thwart change, his antics did not last long. In May 1997, 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. Mobutu
5888-653: The US ambassador to the UN , have accused the peacekeeping mission of supporting a corrupt government. Other non-governmental organizations play significant roles in local governance . Since 2016, the Belgian development agency ( Coopération technique belge ; CTB) has sponsored the Programme d'Appui aux Initiatives de Développement Communautaire (Paideco), a 6-million-euro program aimed at economic development. It began work in Kimbanseke ,
6016-605: The equator , so its dry season begins around its winter solstice, which is in June. This is in contrast to African cities further north featuring this climate where the dry season typically begins around December. Kinshasa's dry season is slightly cooler than its wet season, though temperatures remain relatively constant throughout the year. Kinshasa is home to a diverse range of parks and gardens: An official census conducted in 1984 counted 2.6 million residents. Since then, all estimates are extrapolations. The estimates for 2005 fell in
6144-465: The grid street plan of the original city. Kinshasa is both a city ( ville in French) and a province, one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Nevertheless, it has city subdivisions and is divided into 24 communes (municipalities), which in turn are divided into 369 quarters and 21 embedded groupings. Maluku , the rural commune to the east of the urban area, accounts for 79% of
6272-416: The harem of a local village chief. There she met and married Albéric Gbemani, a cook for a Belgian judge. Shortly afterward she gave birth to Mobutu. The name "Mobutu" was selected by an uncle. Gbemani died when Mobutu was eight. Thereafter, he was raised by an uncle and a grandfather. The Belgian judge's wife took a liking to Mobutu and taught him to speak, read, and write fluently in the French language,
6400-563: The 2nd President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1971. He also served as the 5th Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity from 1967 to 1968. During the Congo Crisis , Mobutu, serving as Chief of Staff of the Army and supported by Belgium and the United States, deposed the democratically elected government of left-wing nationalist Patrice Lumumba in 1960. Mobutu installed
6528-510: The 9,965 km (3,848 sq mi) total land area of the city-province, with a population of 200,000–300,000. The communes are grouped into four districts which are not in themselves administrative divisions. Under the Köppen climate classification , Kinshasa has a tropical wet and dry climate ( Aw ). Its lengthy rainy season spans from October through May, with a relatively short dry season, between June and September. Kinshasa lies south of
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#17328589516066656-530: The Bureau of the Central Committee, second authority in the land, addressed a speech filled with praise for President Mobutu. To gain the revenues of Congolese resources, Mobutu initially nationalized foreign-owned firms and forced European investors out of the country. But in many cases he handed the management of these firms to relatives and close associates, who quickly exercised their own corruption and stole
6784-656: The Concorde's extended take-off and landing requirements. In 1989, Mobutu chartered Concorde aircraft F-BTSD for a 26 June – 5 July trip to give a speech at the United Nations in New York City , then again on 16 July for French bicentennial celebrations in Paris (where he was a guest of President François Mitterrand ), and on 19 September for a flight from Paris to Gbadolite, and another nonstop flight from Gbadolite to Marseille with
6912-586: The Congo since the 1970s, when they financed the construction of the Palais du Peuple and backed the government against rebels in the Shaba war . In 2007–2008 China and Congo signed an agreement for an $ 8.5 billion loan for infrastructure development. Chinese entrepreneurs are gaining an increasing share of local marketplaces in Kinshasa, displacing in the process formerly successful Congolese, West African, Indian, and Lebanese merchants. Mean household spending in 2005
7040-715: The Congo estuary, pursuant to the Royal Decree of 1 July 1923, countersigned by the Minister of the Colonies , Louis Franc. Before this, Léopoldville was designated an "urban district", encompassing exclusively the communes of Kintambo and the current Gombe , which burgeoned around Ngaliema Bay . Then the communes of Kinshasa , Barumbu , and Lingwala emerged. In the 1930s, these communes predominantly housed employees of Chanic, Filtisaf, and Utex Africa . In 1941, legislative ordinance n°293/AIMO of 25 June 1941, conferred Kinshasa
7168-505: The Congo, in particular its uranium. Less than a year after Lumumba's election, the Belgians and the U.S. bought the support of his Congolese rivals and set in motion the events that culminated in Lumumba's assassination. In 1964, Moïse Tshombe decreed the expulsion of all nationals of Republic of the Congo , Burundi and Mali , as well as all political refugees from Rwanda . In 1965, with
7296-725: The Corps of Volunteers of the Republic was established, a vanguard movement designed to mobilize popular support behind Mobutu, who was proclaimed the nation's "Second National Hero" after Lumumba. Despite the role he played in Lumumba's ousting, Mobutu worked to present himself as a successor to Lumumba's legacy. One of his key tenets early in his rule was "authentic Congolese nationalism". In 1966, Mobutu started renaming cities that had European names with more "authentic" African names, and in this way Léopoldville became Kinshasa, Stanleyville became Kisangani and Élisabethville became Lubumbashi . 1967 marked
7424-489: The Democratic Republic of the Congo and is administratively divided into 24 communes , which are further subdivided into 365 neighborhoods. With an expansive administrative region, over 90 percent of the province's land remains rural, while urban growth predominantly occurs on its western side. Kinshasa is the largest nominally Francophone urban area globally, with French being the language of government, education, media, public services and high-end commerce, while Lingala
7552-457: The European and African neighborhoods grew closer together. City plans of the 1920s–1950s featured a cordon sanitaire or buffer between the white and black neighborhoods, which included the central market as well as parks and gardens for Europeans. Urban planning in post-independence Kinshasa has been limited. The Mission Française d'Urbanisme drew up some plans in the 1960s which envisioned
7680-557: The Hills Area, which is characterized by deep valleys and cirque -shaped formations. The Malebo Pool spans over 35 kilometers in length and 25 kilometers in width and is encircled by Ngaliema Municipality to the west and Maluku Municipality to the east, traversing through Gombe , Barumbu , Limete , Masina , and Nsele municipalities. The Kinshasa Plain has a banana-like shape and is surrounded by eastward-oriented hills. Its low sandy alluvial masses extend from Maluku Municipality in
7808-488: The MPR was embodied by the party's president, who was elected every seven years at its national convention. At the same time, the party president was automatically nominated as the sole candidate for a seven-year term as president of the republic; he was confirmed in office by a referendum. The document codified the emergency powers Mobutu had exercised since 1965; it vested Mobutu with "plenitude of power exercise", effectively concentrating all governing power in his hands. Mobutu
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#17328589516067936-756: The MPR's slogans was "Neither left nor right", to which would be added "nor even center" in later years. That same year, all trade unions were consolidated into a single union, the National Union of Zairian Workers , and brought under government control. Mobutu intended for the union to serve as an instrument of support for government policy, rather than as an independent group. Independent trade unions were illegal until 1991. Facing many challenges early in his rule, Mobutu converted much opposition into submission through patronage; those he could not co-opt, he dealt with forcefully. In 1966, four cabinet members were arrested on charges of complicity in an attempted coup, tried by
8064-548: The Malebo Pool and is characterized by deep valleys and cirque-shaped formations. These hills reach heights surpassing 700 meters and exhibit gentle, rounded contours sculpted by local rivers. While their eastern counterparts may reflect remnants of the Batéké Plateau , their origins in the west and south remain enigmatic. Their natural erosion processes are exacerbated by human intervention, sometimes assuming catastrophic proportions. Kinshasa's hydrographic network encompasses
8192-474: The People", and "Supreme Combatant". In the 1996 documentary of the 1974 Foreman–Ali fight in Zaire, dancers receiving the fighters can be heard chanting "Sese Seko, Sese Seko". At one point, in early 1975, the media were forbidden to refer to anyone other than Mobutu by name; others were referred to only by the positions they held. Mobutu successfully capitalized on Cold War tensions among European nations and
8320-515: The United Nations wrote: "When I first met Mobutu in July 1960, he was Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba's chief military assistant and had just promoted himself from sergeant to lieutenant-colonel. By comparison with his boss, Mobutu was a pillar of pragmatism and common sense. It was to him that we appealed when our people were arrested by Lumumba's hashish-stimulated guards. It was he who would bring up, in
8448-672: The United States. He gained significant support from the West and its international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund . In the late 1970s, the West Germany company OTRAG was developing a program to send peaceful satellites into space at lower costs, but a 1954 amendment to the Treaty of Brussels prevented them from developing and launching missiles in Germany. As a result, they paid Mobutu $ 130 million to develop their program in Zaire. In
8576-459: The Upper Congo (now Tshopo Province ). However, Hendrik van Moorsel, an anthropologist, historian and researcher, proposes that Bateke fishermen traded fish for cassava with locals along the riverbank, and the place of this exchange was called " Ulio ". In Teke , "exchange" is " Utsaya ", and "place of exchange" is " Intsaya ". Thus, the name evolved from Ulio to Intsaya , and later, under
8704-491: The actual number of registered voters. The legislative elections were held in a similar fashion. Voters were presented with a single list from the MPR; according to official figures, an implausible 98.33% of voters voted in favor of the MPR list. As he consolidated power, Mobutu set up several military forces whose sole purpose was to protect him. These included the Special Presidential Division , Civil Guard and Service for Action, and Military Intelligence (SNIP). Embarking on
8832-468: The adjunct regions of Ndjili and Matete were incorporated. After gaining its independence on 30 June 1960, following riots in 1959 , the Republic of the Congo elected its first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba whose perceived pro-Soviet leanings were viewed as a threat by Western interests. This being the height of the Cold War, the U.S. and Belgium did not want to lose control of the strategic wealth of
8960-569: The auditors for the IMF discovered major corruption within the Zairian finances, Mobutu visited China in 1974 and returned wearing a Mao jacket and the new title of Citoyen Mobutu ("Citizen Mobutu"). Influenced by the Cultural Revolution, Mobutu shifted to the left and announced his intention to "radicalize the Zairian revolution". The businesses that Mobutu had just handed over to Zairians were in turn nationalized and placed under state control. At
9088-472: The chairmanship of President Joseph Kasa-Vubu at Camp Léopold II to address the task of Africanising the garrison. The ministers debated over who would make a suitable army chief of staff. The two main candidates for the post were Minister of Youth and Sports Maurice Mpolo and Mobutu. The former had shown some influence over the mutinying troops, but Kasa-Vubu and the Bakongo ministers feared that he would enact
9216-490: The civilian population of Zaire. A recurring feature of Mobutu's rule were the seemingly endless number of roadblocks put by the FAZ who extorted money from the drivers of any passing automobile or lorries. Another feature of Mobutu's economic mismanagement, directly linked to the way he and his friends siphoned off so much of the country's wealth, was rampant inflation. The rapid decline in the real value of salaries strongly encouraged
9344-409: The class newspaper. He was known for his pranks and impish sense of humor. A classmate recalled that when the Belgian priests, whose first language was Dutch, made an error in French, Mobutu would leap to his feet in class and point out the mistake. In 1949 Mobutu stowed away aboard a boat, traveling downriver to Léopoldville, where he met a girl. The priests found him several weeks later. At the end of
9472-569: The coast. The completion of the Matadi-Kinshasa portage railway , in 1898, provided an alternative route around the rapids and sparked the rapid development of Léopoldville. In 1914, a pipeline was installed so that crude oil could be transported from Matadi to the upriver steamers in Leopoldville. By 1923, the city was elevated to capital of the Belgian Congo , replacing the town of Boma in
9600-455: The colony's inaugural university, was founded in 1954. By 1957, Léopoldville comprised eleven communes and six adjunct regions: Kalamu , Dendale (present-day Kasa-Vubu commune ), Saint Jean (now Lingwala ), Ngiri-Ngiri , Kintambo , Limete , Bandalungwa , Léopoldville (current Gombe ), Barumbu , Kinshasa , and Ngaliema ; along with the adjunct regions of Lemba, Binza , Makala , Kimwenza , Kimbanseke , and Kingasani. Subsequently,
9728-511: The combination of the Kikongo and Kihumbu languages. The prefix " Ki(n) " signifies a hill or inhabited area, while " Nsasa " or " Nshasa " refers to a bag of salt. According to Raymackers, Kinshasa was a significant trading site where people from the Lower Congo (now Kongo Central Province ) and South Atlantic Ocean exchanged salt for goods like iron , slaves and ivory brought by those from
9856-528: The companies' assets. In 1973–1974, Mobutu launched his "Zairianization" campaign, nationalising foreign owned businesses that were handed over to Zairians. In October 1973, the Arab oil shock ended the "long summer" of prosperity in the West that had begun in 1945, and sent the world economy into its sharpest contraction since the Great Depression. One consequence of the oil shock and the resulting global recession
9984-574: The country and repulsed the rebels, ending Shaba I . The rebels attacked Zaire again, in greater numbers, in the Shaba II invasion of 1978. The governments of Belgium and France deployed troops with logistical support from the United States and defeated the rebels again. The poor performance of the Zairian Army during both Shaba invasions, which humiliated Mobutu by forcing him to ask for foreign troops, did not lead to military reforms. However, Mobutu reduced
10112-548: The country where they could be applauded. Early in his rule, Mobutu consolidated power by publicly executing political rivals, secessionists, coup plotters, and other threats to his rule. To set an example, many were hanged before large audiences. Such victims included former Prime Minister Évariste Kimba , who, with three cabinet members—Jérôme Anany (Defense Minister), Emmanuel Bamba (Finance Minister), and Alexandre Mahamba (Minister of Mines and Energy)—was tried in May 1966, and sent to
10240-434: The country's foreign debt at the time. In a speech that he delivered on 20 May 1976 in a football stadium in Kinshasa that was filled with some 70,000 people, Mobutu openly accepted petty corruption, stating: "If you want to steal, steal a little in a nice way, but if you steal too much to become rich overnight, you will be caught". By 1989, the government was forced to default on international loans from Belgium. Mobutu owned
10368-562: The day of the coup, Mobutu showed up unannounced at the UN headquarters in Léopoldville and refused to leave, until the radio announced the coup, leading Mobutu to say over and over again " C'est moi! " ("This is me!"). Recognizing that Mobutu had only gone to the UN headquarters in case the coup should fail, Urquhart ordered him out. Losing confidence that the international community would support his reinstatement, Lumumba fled in late November to join his supporters in Stanleyville to establish
10496-461: The debut of the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR), which until 1990 was the nation's only legal political party. Among the themes advanced by the MPR in its doctrine, the Manifesto of N'Sele, were nationalism, revolution, and "authenticity". Revolution was described as a "truly national revolution, essentially pragmatic", which called for "the repudiation of both capitalism and communism". One of
10624-434: The east to the western foothills of Ngaliema, covering approximately 20,000 hectares. The Terrace is mainly situated in the city's western expanse, between N'djili and Mount Ngafula . It comprises stony blocks of soft sandstone and silica -covered yellow clay , topped with brown silt , and ranges from 10 to 25 meters in height. It retains vestiges of an ancient surface. The Hills Area commences several kilometers from
10752-472: The establishment of Kinshasa, the area was for a time part of the Anziku Kingdom . By about 1698, it had become an essentially independent domain known as Nkonkobela . The city was established as a trading post by Henry Morton Stanley in 1881. It was named Léopoldville in honor of Stanley's employer King Leopold II of the Belgians . He would then proceed to take control of most of the Congo Basin as
10880-465: The gallows on 30 May, before an audience of 50,000 spectators. The men were executed on charges of being in contact with Colonel Alphonse Bangala and Major Pierre Efomi, for the purpose of planning a coup. Mobutu explained the executions as follows: "One had to strike through a spectacular example, and create the conditions of regime discipline. When a chief takes a decision, he decides – period." In 1968, Pierre Mulele , Lumumba's Minister of Education and
11008-425: The government. To hold a government position required neither a sense of management nor a good conscience. On most occasions, effectiveness and a good conscience were major obstacles to political advancement. Mobutu demanded absolute personal allegiance in return for the opportunity to accumulate wealth". As early as 1970, it was estimated that Mobutu had stolen 60% of the national budget that year, marking him as one of
11136-538: The governments of apartheid South Africa, Israel and the Greek junta . From 1972 onward, he was also supported by Mao Zedong of China, mainly due to his anti-Soviet stance but also as part of Mao's attempts to create a bloc of Afro-Asian nations led by him. The massive Chinese economic aid that flowed into Zaire gave Mobutu more flexibility in his dealings with Western governments, allowed him to identify as an " anti-capitalist revolutionary", and enabled him to avoid going to
11264-491: The heart of the city. Food processing is a major industry, and construction and other service industries also play a significant role in the economy. Although home to only 13% of the DRC's population, Kinshasa accounts for 85% of the Congolese economy as measured by gross domestic product. A 2004 investigation found 70% of inhabitants employed informally, 17% in the public sector, 9% in the formal private sector, and 3% other, of
11392-419: The help of the U.S. and Belgium, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu seized power in the Congo. He initiated a policy of " Authenticity ", attempting to renativize the names of people and places in the country. On 2 May 1966, the government announced that the nation's major cities would be restored to their pre-colonial names, effective on 30 June, the sixth anniversary of independence. Léopoldville was renamed Kinshasa , for
11520-515: The industry. Parenthetically, production has increased, and Covid-related restrictions have eased, leading to sustained economic growth. Despite facing external challenges, including the repercussions of the Russo-Ukrainian War , the DRC has shown fiscal stability . In 2022, tax performance exceeded projections, showcasing improved revenue generation. However, increased expenditures related to security concerns and internal arrears resulted in
11648-500: The influence of Kikongo, transformed into Kintsaya , eventually becoming Kinshasa . Kinshasa , also known as N'shasa , is regarded as the primary "place of exchange" on the southern bank of the Pool Malebo , where bartering occurred even before the commercial boom of Kintambo . The name Nshasa is believed to originate from the Teke verb " tsaya " ( tsaa ), meaning "to exchange", and
11776-418: The largest metropolitan areas in the world. The official language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, of which Kinshasa is the capital, is French (See: Kinshasa French vocabulary ). Kinshasa is the largest officially Francophone city in the world, albeit that the vast majority of people either cannot speak French, or struggle in speaking it. Although Lingala is widely used as a spoken language, French
11904-609: The leading economic , political , and cultural center of the DRC. Kinshasa houses several industries , including manufacturing , telecommunications , banking , and entertainment . The city also hosts some of DRC's significant institutional buildings, such as the Palais du Peuple , Palais de la Nation , Court of Cassation , Constitutional Court , Cité de l'Union Africaine , Palais de Marbre , Stade des Martyrs , Immeuble du Gouvernement , Kinshasa Financial Center , and multiple federal departments and agencies. Covering 9,965 square kilometers, Kinshasa stretches along
12032-445: The main watercourses within humid valleys of the Congolese guinéo ombrophile type, have degraded into highly exploited pre-forest fallows, manifesting as reclusive foresters of varying ages. Ruderal plant groups line railway tracks within narrow strips, reflecting the region's vegetation cover's discontinuity and repetition. Kinshasa is home to diverse vegetation types, each intricately linked to specific ecological parameters. Kinshasa
12160-444: The most corrupt leaders in Africa and the world. Kisangani wrote that Mobutu created a system of institutional corruption that greatly debased public morality by rewarding venality and greed. In 1972, Mobutu tried unsuccessfully to have himself named president for life . In June 1983, he raised himself to the rank of Marshal ; the order was signed by General Likulia Bolongo. Victor Nendaka Bika , in his capacity as Vice-President of
12288-625: The natural products brought from the interior. Joseph Kabila , president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019, was not overly popular in Kinshasa. Violence broke out following the announcement of Kabila's victory in the contested election of 2006 ; the European Union deployed troops ( EUFOR RD Congo ) to join the UN force in the city. The announcement in 2016 that a new election would be delayed two years led to large protests in September and December which involved barricades in
12416-708: The noun " intsaya " ( insaa ), referring to any market or place of exchange. It was at this location that Teke brokers traded ivory and slaves from the Banunu slave traders, often mistaken for the Yanzi , for European trade items brought by the Zombo and Kongo people. Despite the various theories, the historical name of Kinshasa is known to have been Nshasa , as documented by Henry Morton Stanley during his crossing of Africa from Zanzibar to Boma in 1874–1877 when he mentioned visiting "the king of Nshasa" on 14 March 1877. Prior to
12544-704: The official language of the country in the colonial period. His widowed mother Yemo relied on the help of relatives to support her four children, and the family moved often. Mobutu's earliest education took place in the capital Léopoldville (now Kinshasa). His mother eventually sent him to an uncle in Coquilhatville (present-day Mbandaka), where he attended the Christian Brothers School, a Catholic-mission boarding school. A tall and physically imposing figure at 191 cm (6 ft 3 in), Mobutu dominated school sports. He also excelled in academic subjects and ran
12672-568: The part of his ministers. The frequency that men entered and left the cabinet also encouraged gross corruption because ministers never knew how long they might be in office, thus encouraging them to steal as much as possible while they were in the cabinet. Another tactic was to arrest and sometimes torture dissident members of the government, only to later pardon them and reward them with high office. The Congolese historian Emizet F. Kisangani wrote: "Most public officials knew that regardless of their inefficiency and degree of corruption, they could reenter
12800-400: The pinnacle of Mobutu's legitimacy and power. In 1970 King Baudouin of Belgium made a highly successful state visit to Kinshasa . That same year presidential and legislative elections were held. Although the constitution allowed for the existence of two parties, the MPR was the only party allowed to nominate candidates. For the presidential election, Mobutu was the only candidate. Voting
12928-479: The same time, Mobutu imposed a 50% salary cut to state employees, which led a failed coup attempt against him in June 1975. By 1977, Mobutu's nationalizations had precipitated such an economic slump that Mobutu was forced to try to woo foreign investors back. Katangan rebels based in Angola invaded Zaire that year, in retaliation for Mobutu's support for anti- MPLA rebels. France airlifted 1,500 Moroccan paratroopers into
13056-580: The school year, in lieu of being sent to prison, he was ordered to serve seven years in the colonial army, the Force Publique (FP). This was a usual punishment for rebellious students. Mobutu found discipline in army life, as well as a father figure in Sergeant Louis Bobozo . Mobutu kept up his studies by borrowing European newspapers from the Belgian officers and books from wherever he could find them, reading them on sentry duty and whenever he had
13184-538: The size of the Army from 51,000 troops in 1978 down to 23,000 troops in 1980. By 1980, it was estimated that about 90% of the Zairian Army were Ngbandi as Mobutu did not trust the other peoples of Zaire to serve in the Army. The most loyal and best of Mobutu's units were his bodyguards, the Israeli-trained Division Spéciale Présidentielle that was made up exclusively of Ngbandi and was always commanded by one of Mobutu's relatives. Mobutu
13312-591: The soldiers' salaries, as well as Kasa-Vubu and Mobutu's subordinates, all favored getting rid of the Soviet presence. On 14 September Mobutu launched a bloodless coup, declaring both Kasa-Vubu and Lumumba to be "neutralised" and establishing a new government of university graduates, the College of Commissioners-General . Lumumba rejected this action but was forced to retire to his residence, where UN peacekeepers prevented Mobutu's soldiers from arresting him. Urquhart recalled that on
13440-639: The south. Concerned that the United Nations force sent to help restore order was not helping to crush the secessionists, Lumumba turned to the Soviet Union for assistance. He received massive military aid and about a thousand Soviet technical advisers within six weeks. As this was during the Cold War , the US government feared that the Soviet activity was a maneuver to spread communist influence in Central Africa. Kasa-Vubu
13568-514: The south. The urban populace swelled in 1945 with the cessation of forced labor , facilitating the influx of native Africans from rural regions. Léopoldville then became predominantly inhabited by the Bakongo ethnic group. In the 1950s, planned urban centers such as Lemba , Matete , and a segment of Ndjili were established to accommodate workers from the Limete industrial zone. Lovanium University ,
13696-495: The southern shores of the Pool Malebo , on the Congo River . It forms an expansive crescent across flat, low-lying terrain at an average altitude of about 300 meters. Situated between latitudes 4° and 5° and longitudes East 15° and 16°32, Kinshasa shares its borders with the Mai-Ndombe Province , Kwilu Province , and Kwango Province to the east; the Congo River delineates its western and northern perimeters, constituting
13824-527: The status of a city and established an Urban Committee ( Comité Urbain ), with an allocated area of 5,000 hectares and a population of 53,000. Concurrently, it became the colony's capital, the Congo-Kasaï Province 's capital, and the Moyen Congo district. The city was demarcated into two zones: the urban zone, comprising Léo II, Léo-Ouest, Kalina, Léo-I, or Léo-Est, and Ndolo; and the indigenous zone to
13952-430: The streets and left dozens of people dead. Schools and businesses were closed down. Kinshasa is strategically situated on the southern bank of the expansive Malebo Pool , spanning 9,965 square kilometers, configured in a grand crescent shape atop a low-lying, flat terrain with an average elevation hovering around 300 meters. Positioned between latitudes 4° and 5° and longitudinal coordinates 15° to 16°32 east, Kinshasa
14080-415: The title of Gouverneur . Daniel Bumba [ fr ] has been governor since 21 June 2024. Each commune has its own Bourgmestre . Although political power in the DRC is fragmented, Kinshasa as the national capital represents the official center of sovereignty, and thus of access to international organizations and financing, and of political powers such as the right to issue passports . Kinshasa
14208-467: The two to drift apart. On 5 July 1960, soldiers of the Force Publique stationed at Camp Léopold II in Léopoldville, dissatisfied with their all-white leadership and working conditions, mutinied . The revolt spread across the region in the following days. Mobutu assisted other officials in negotiating with the mutineers to secure the release of the officers and their families. On 8 July the full Council of Ministers convened in an extraordinary session under
14336-469: The young Congolese intellectuals who were challenging colonial rule. He became friendly with Patrice Lumumba and joined Lumumba's Congolese National Movement (MNC). Mobutu eventually became Lumumba's personal aide. Several contemporaries indicate that Belgian intelligence had recruited Mobutu to be an informer to the government. During the 1960 talks in Brussels on Congolese independence, the US embassy held
14464-481: The youth choir of Zaire. Mobutu's rule earned a reputation as one of the world's foremost examples of kleptocracy and nepotism . Close relatives and fellow members of the Ngbandi tribe were awarded high positions in the military and government, and he groomed his eldest son, Nyiwa, to succeed him as president; however, Nyiwa died from AIDS in 1994. Mobutu led one of the most enduring autocracies in Africa and amassed
14592-431: Was "neither left nor right, nor even centre", though nevertheless he developed a regime that was intensely autocratic . 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
14720-474: Was a crate of beer, all his army salary could afford. As a soldier, Mobutu wrote in pseudonym on contemporary politics for Actualités Africaines (African News), a magazine set up by a Belgian colonial. In 1956, he quit the army and became a full-time journalist, writing for the Léopoldville daily L'Avenir . Two years later, he went to Belgium to cover the 1958 World Exposition and stayed to receive training in journalism. By this time, Mobutu had met many of
14848-402: Was a political action, "aimed to strengthen the army, the president's sole support, and Mobutu's position within the army". In 1964, Pierre Mulele led partisans in another rebellion. They quickly occupied two-thirds of the Congo. In response, the Congolese army, led by Mobutu, reconquered the entire territory through 1965. Prime Minister Moise Tshombe's Congolese National Convention had won
14976-530: Was changed to Kinshasa in 1966 during Mobutu Sese Seko 's Zairianisation campaign as a tribute to Nshasa village. The National Museum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is DRC's most prominent and central museum, housing a collection of art , artifacts , historical objects, and modern work of arts . The College of Advanced Studies in Strategy and Defense is the highest military institution in DRC and Central Africa. The National Pedagogical University
15104-432: Was encouraged by the US and Belgium to dismiss Lumumba, which he did on 5 September. An outraged Lumumba declared Kasa-Vubu deposed. Parliament refused to recognise the dismissals and urged reconciliation, but no agreement was reached. Lumumba and Kasa-Vubu each ordered Mobutu to arrest the other. As Army Chief of Staff, Mobutu came under great pressure from multiple sources. The embassies of Western nations, which helped pay
15232-606: Was given the role and awarded the rank of colonel. The following day government delegations left the capital to oversee the Africanisation of the army; Mobutu was sent to Équateur . While he was there Mpolo acted as ANC Chief of Staff. Mobutu was affronted by this development, and upon his return to the capital he confronted Lumumba in a cabinet meeting, saying, "Either I was unworthy, and you have to dismiss me, or I faithfully accomplished my mission and so I keep my rank and functions." The British diplomat Brian Urquhart serving with
15360-481: Was not secret; voters chose a green paper if they supported Mobutu's candidacy, and a red paper if they opposed his candidacy. Casting a green ballot was deemed a vote for hope, while a red ballot was deemed a vote for chaos. Under the circumstances, the result was inevitable–according to official figures, Mobutu was confirmed in office with near-unanimous support, garnering 10,131,669 votes to only 157 "no" votes. It later emerged that almost 30,500 more votes were cast than
15488-496: Was notorious for corruption, nepotism, and having amassed between US$ 50 million and $ 125 million during his rule. He was known for extravagances such as shopping trips to Paris via the supersonic Concorde aircraft. Mobutu, a member of the Ngbandi ethnic group, was born in 1930 in Lisala , Belgian Congo . Mobutu's mother, Marie Madeleine Yemo, was a hotel maid who fled to Lisala to escape
15616-441: Was paid adequately or regularly. A popular saying that "the civil servants pretended to work while the state pretended to pay them" expressed this grim reality. The Forces Armées Zaïroises (FAZ) suffered from low morale made worse by irregular salaries, dismal living conditions, shortages of supplies and a venal officer corps. The soldiers of the FAZ behaved very much like a brutal occupying force who supported themselves by robbing
15744-500: Was re-elected in single-candidate elections in 1977 and 1984 . He spent most of his time increasing his personal fortune, which in 1988 was estimated to amount to no less than US$ 50 million. He held most of it out of the country in Swiss banks (however, a comparatively small $ 3.4 million was declared found in Swiss banks after he was ousted.). This was almost equivalent to the amount of
15872-475: Was reelected three times under this system, each time by implausibly high margins of 98 percent or more. A single list of MPR candidates was returned to the legislature every five years with equally implausible margins; official figures gave the MPR list unanimous or near-unanimous support. At one of those elections, in 1975 , formal voting was dispensed with altogether. Instead, the election took place by acclaim ; candidates were presented at public locations around
16000-566: Was that the price of copper dropped by 50% over the course of 1974, which proved to be a disaster for Zaire as copper was its most important export. The American historian Thomas Odom wrote because of the collapse in copper prices Zaire went from "prosperity to bankruptcy almost overnight" in 1974. The economic collapse forced Zaire to turn towards the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help it manage its debts which could no longer be serviced. Seeking an alternative source of support as
16128-402: Was the equivalent of US$ 2,150, amounting to $ 1 per day per person. The median household spending was $ 1,555, 66 cents per person per day. Among the poor, more than half of this spending goes to food, especially bread and cereal. Kinshasa is home to several higher-level education institutes, covering a wide range of disciplines, including civil engineering , nursing , and journalism . The city
16256-458: Was the subject of one of the most pervasive personality cults of the twentieth century. The evening newscast opened with an image of him descending through clouds like a god. His portraits were hung in many public places, and government officials wore lapel pins bearing his portrait. He held such titles as "Father of the Nation", "Messiah", "Guide of the Revolution", "Helmsman", "Founder", "Savior of
16384-433: Was to play "musical chairs", rotating members of his government, switching the cabinet roster constantly to ensure that no one would pose a threat to his rule. Between November 1965 and April 1997, Mobutu reshuffled his cabinet 60 times. The frequent cabinet reshuffles as intended encouraged insecurity in his ministers, who knew that the mercurial Mobutu would reshuffle his cabinet with no regard for efficiency and competence on
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