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Today in History: Kabila crowns himself president, Zaire renamed Congo

5/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On 16 May 1997, after a ten-month campaign that drew in Rwanda, Uganda and other neighbors, rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila entered Kinshasa, declared himself president of Zaire and renamed the nation the Democratic Republic of the Congo, toppling long-time ruler Mobutu Sese Seko and ending the First Congo War.

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Story summary

On 16 May 1997, after a ten-month campaign that drew in Rwanda, Uganda and other neighbors, rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila entered Kinshasa, declared himself president of Zaire and renamed the nation the Democratic Republic of the Congo, toppling long-time ruler Mobutu Sese Seko and ending the First Congo War.