SUMMARY
DR Congo (Zaire) gained its independence on 30 June 1960. The country was then called the Republic of the Congo (République du Congo), the name has changed over the years. On 1 August 1964 the country first changed its name to the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1971, as part of a campaign of authenticity, the name of the country was changed again, this time to Republic of Zaire (Zaïre). Following the change of government after the intrastate war in 1996-1997 the country regained the name the Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo).
After the independence of DR Congo (Zaire) the government was led by Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Kasavubu. In January 1961 Lumumba was executed and a period with a number of short time governments succeeded, before Joseph-Désiré Mobutu overthrew the government in a 1965 coup. President Mobutu led the government of Zaire until 1996.
Mobutu also controlled the Zairian army (FAZ). In the middle of the 1980s the army consisted of 70 000 troops but when Mobutu failed to pay the salaries of the troops in the 1990s the number declined to close to 20 000. While foreign mercenaries were paid up to $10 000 for a three-month period under Mobutu, the Zairian army soldiers did not receive any payment and consequently deserted. The demoralized soldiers who stayed in FAZ were backed by a number of Special Forces, for example the garde civile and DSP (Division spéciale présidentielle). DSP was often used by President Mobutu in order to exterminate opposition.
In May 1997, President Mobutu was ousted by the forces of AFDL (Alliance des forces démocratiques pour la libération du Congo, Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo) that had been fighting an intrastate conflict against the government since 1996. The leader of AFDL, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, became the new President of the DR Congo (Zaire). He formed a new army called FAC (Forces armées congolaises) comprising his AFDL forces and the previous military.
Initially, Rwandan and Ugandan military personnel trained FAC. However in the summer of 1998 Rwanda was ousted from the country and an intrastate conflict involving new actors, often called the Second Congo War or Africa’s World War, broke out. FAC was still in the creation phase when the conflict erupted. In the beginning of the conflict, FAC proved to be weak and the country was not able to protect itself from the insurrection. The Kabila government was however supported by troops from a number of other African states: Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Chad.
In 2001 President Laurent Kabila was assassinated and his son Joseph Kabila took office. A period of negotiations followed. By late 2003, a peace agreement provided for the creation of a Transitional Government composed of the various groups of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue. Joseph Kabila stayed as President with four new vice-Presidents representing the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition. The former rebel groups and FAC were integrated into mixed brigades and the army again changed name to FARDC (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo, Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo).
After a referendum held in December 2005, a new constitution was adopted on 19 February 2006. On 30 July 2006 the first free multi-party elections were held since independence. Joseph Kabila won the elections and was sworn in as President on 6 December 2006. This ended the transitional period. Joseph Kabila remained in power after elections in 2012. His constitutionally mandated two-term-limit would have ended in 2015 but a new transitional government led by Joseph Kabila was formed, as elections were postponed. New elections were held on 30 December 2018. The result of the presidential, legislative and provincial elections was disputed but ended with the inauguration of Félix Tshisekedi as new President of the DR Congo (Zaire) on 24 January 2019. Félix Tshisekedi remained President after the election on 20 December 2023. The elections were again plagued by irregularities. Over the years the Government of DR Congo has continued to face opposition groups, many of which have negotiated integration into FARDC.
The Government of DR Congo (Zaire) has been involved in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence, the Government of DR Congo (Zaire) has been a secondary warring party in the Rwanda: Government, Uganda: Government and Burundi: Government conflicts.
