The Fall of Mobutu

Dr. William A. Twayigize

DR. WILLIAM

THE FALL OF THE CITY OF MOBUTU

Having survived the massacres in Kisangani, Ubundu, Ikella, and Mbandaka, I eventually reached Kinshasa. The enemy’s formidable resources, courtesy of the Bill Clinton administration, posed a significant threat, not limited to Tutsi forces from Rwanda but also encompassing Congolese Tutsis, the Ugandan army led by General Museveni, and the Tutsi from Burundi under Major Pierre Buyoya. The USA pledged military, political, and financial support to ensure the capture of the entire DR Congo, shifting the focus away from Rwanda to the resource-rich DRC. The plight of the massive refugee population, comprising Hutu refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, and the eastern DRC, alongside Congolese refugees, forced them to seek shelter in Western DR Congo and eventually other crossed into Congo Brazzaville. I found myself in Kinshasa, grappling with the consequences of conflict and geopolitical intricacies.

Amidst the chaos, I was relieved to reunite with my cousin Leo, who had miraculously survived the same harrowing RPF onslaught. Together, we clung to hope, seeking solace in each other’s company as we tried to make sense of the senseless violence that had torn through our lives. We also wondered if survival in Kinshasa was possible, as rumors were rife that the USA was airlifting rebels from Kisangani to strategic locations near Kinshasa for a final capture of the city (Scharf & Pagano, 2010).

Our peace in Kinshasa was abruptly shattered as a contingent of Tutsi soldiers, transported from Kisangani and other parts of Congo, launched a perilous mission to overthrow Mobutu’s regime. However, by May 17, 1997, Mobutu Sese Seko and his family had already fled the city, leaving it in chaos and under the control of Tutsi soldiers and rebels, led by General Kabarebe, Kagame’s chief of staff. The US administration provided logistical, financial, and political support, while propagating the notion that the USA wanted to remove the Congolese dictator Mobutu and establish a democratic rule in Congo.

In this heart-rending photograph captured in February 1997, an American soldier is depicted coming face to face with a desperate mother, who clutches her innocent baby tightly, her tear-filled eyes beseeching him for salvation. Behind them, more than half a million Rwandan Hutu refugees find themselves trapped and vulnerable, seeking sanctuary at the Tingi-Tingi camp near Lubutu (Photo: GYSEMBERGH Benoit).

For four decades, the USA, UK, and Belgium supported dictator Mobutu, as depicted in this photo of his meeting with Pentagon officials in 1983.

On September 27, 2002, Rwandan army chief, James Kabarebe, stood before a gathering of soldiers as they prepared to withdraw from eastern Congo (Antony Njuguna).

The United States concealed its involvement in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, instead paraded Laurent Kabila as the new savior of Congo/Zaire, with the aim of securing control over valuable uranium reserves, notably the Shinkolobwe mine in Katanga province (Adamson, 2017; Postar, 2017; Alvarez, 2013). This mine played a critical role in supplying uranium for the Manhattan Project (Sternat, 1978; Dumett, 1985; Weissman, 2010; Williams, 2016; Trenta, 2021). This pursuit led the USA and the CIA to orchestrate Lumumba’s removal and elevate Mobutu Sese Seko as a compliant dictator, ensuring decades of exclusive access to Congo’s resources (Stanislas, B. M., 2014).

As Mobutu’s regime encountered mounting opposition and his health deteriorated, the USA sought a new ally in General Kagame’s Tutsi-led regime in Rwanda, established by the Clinton administration in Kigali two years prior. Having undergone military training in the USA for the invasion of Rwanda and Congo, General Kagame was now executing the USA’s geopolitical mission (Otieno, O. M., 2010; Mayanja, N. E. B., 2018). Kagame’s advancing forces posed an immediate threat to the lives of thousands of Hutus in Kinshasa (Otieno, O. M., 2010; Mayanja, N. E. B., 2018).

As the city braced for an uncertain fate under the impending rule of the Tutsi soldiers, Leo and I were keenly aware that our lives hung in the balance, destined for an abrupt and tragic end. The ominous grip of the Tutsi soldiers’ control over Congo and Kinshasa left us feeling like insignificant pawns in a grander geopolitical scheme. In this turbulent landscape, the Tutsis launched a relentless pursuit of Hutu refugees dwelling in Kinshasa, irrespective of their origins from Rwanda, Burundi, or the Eastern DRC regions of Masisi, Rutshuru, and other areas with a significant Congolese Hutu populace. The threat of persecution loomed large, painting a bleak and harrowing picture of our survival prospects.

On the afternoon of May 17, 1997, as Leo ventured out to find water for us to quench our thirst, an ominous turn of events unfolded when he fell into the clutches of Tutsi soldiers hailing from Rwanda. Their baseless suspicion arose from an alleged sighting of Leo conversing in Kinyarwanda. A day of uncertainty passed, and to our horror, Leo was publicly exhibited on DR Congolese TV, stripped of his dignity and bound alongside numerous refugees, all ensnared by the merciless hands of the Tutsi soldiers. The chilling spectacle unfolded at Kamanyola Stadium, where they subjected the captives to a ghastly display, adorning their necks with tires before brutally lynching them, all of which was broadcasted nationwide, a cruelty inflicted upon Hutu refugees in DRC in 1990s.

From my hidden vantage point, I beseeched the Congolese family sheltering me to guide me to the UN Headquarters. Upon arrival, I encountered a multitude of fellow refugees hailing from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Chad, CAR, and Angola, who had sought sanctuary within the UN’s protective confines. Nonetheless, peril loomed as Tutsi soldiers commenced singling out Hutu refugees for execution. My survival hinged on my prudent silence about my Rwandan origin, and I skillfully cloaked my identity by conversing exclusively in French, infused with a West African accent. Posing as a devout preacher, I artfully wielded my cherished Bible, which had become my sole companion. When it became evident that the RPF/Tutsi soldiers were targeting Hutu refugees for fatal consequences, a benevolent French UN employee based in Kinshasa orchestrated and funded our escape into the Congo Republic. Thus, it was divine intervention that preserved my life amidst the perilous trials of Kinshasa.

Upon arriving in Congo Brazzaville, I courageously carried forward my journey of exile, departing from the Bilolo refugee camp and navigating through Ngo, Ngulukila, Djambala, and braving the desert that separates Gabon and Congo Republic. Here, a harrowing encounter with hungry hyenas nearly claimed my life, but Divine intervention granted me strength to persist, eventually leading me into Lekoni within Franceville, Gabon. After a grueling trek spanning approximately 6000 miles and evading the relentless RPF attacks, my desperate yearning for a sanctuary of peace remained unyielding. Yet, this aspiration, shared by fellow refugees, was tragically curtailed as circumstances took a bleak and perilous turn for us, the Rwandan refugees.

The image captures the moment Patrice Lumumba is led away for his assassination. The CIA was actively involved. Lumumba’s tenure, from June 24, 1960, to his death on September 14, saw his replacement by Colonel Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, aligned with the USA, who ruled until his overthrow by Rwanda on May 17, 1997.

In this photo, Bill Clinton and Kagame are seen grazing cows on Kagame’s ranch in Rwanda, raising questions about Clinton’s support for the Rwandan President despite concerns about his dictatorship and human rights abuses.

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DR. WILLIAM

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Dr. William A. Twayigize

DR. WILLIAM