Regions
The Democratic Republic of Congo will on Tuesday mark 25 years since the collapse of the authoritarian rule of Mobutu Sese Seko.
Mr Mobutu ruled DR Congo, then Zaire, for more than 30 years but fled the capital, Kinshasa, on the eve of 17 May 1997 as rebel troops advanced on the city.
Then rebel leader, Laurent Kabila, seized power and renamed the country the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mobutu died later that year in exile in Morocco where he was buried.
In 2013 President Joseph Kabila said the government will repatriate the body but no action followed the announcement.
Mobutu’s critics accused him of being a ruthless and corrupt ruler who crushed internal dissent and plundered DR Congo’s mineral resources.
The 17 of May is now a national holiday when the country celebrates its armed forces. A parade is due to take place in Kinshasa to mark the day.
