Joseph-Desire Mobutu Biography and Timeline — Page 2

Washington Meeting with Reagan

Meets President Ronald Reagan as Zaire remains a prominent Western partner in Central Africa.

Restoration of Multiparty Politics

Mobutu announces an end to the formal one-party system and permits political pluralism.

Role range: 1965-1997

Lubumbashi University Violence Crisis

Faces domestic and international criticism after security forces are accused of killing students at Lubumbashi University.

Role range: 1965-1997

Sovereign National Conference

Mobutu opens a national conference intended to negotiate political transition.

Role range: 1965-1997

Army Mutiny and Kinshasa Looting

Struggles to restore order after unpaid soldiers mutiny and widespread looting erupts in Kinshasa.

Role range: 1965-1997

Rejects Rival Transitional Authority

Backs institutions competing with the opposition-led transition, leaving Zaire with rival claims to governmental legitimacy.

Role range: 1965-1997

Government Response to Eastern Rebellion

Mobutu's government mobilises against the expanding Alliance of Democratic Forces for Liberation.

Role range: 1965-1997

Outeniqua Talks with Kabila

Meets Laurent Kabila aboard the South African ship Outeniqua during Nelson Mandela's unsuccessful mediation effort.

Role range: 1965-1997

Flight from Zaire

Leaves the country as AFDL forces approach Kinshasa and his thirty-two-year rule collapses.

Role range: 1965-1997

Departure from Kinshasa

Mobutu leaves the capital as Laurent Kabila's forces approach.

Role range: 1965-1997

Death of Mobutu

Dies in exile in Morocco several months after being driven from power by the First Congo War.