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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 August 2021
Like many analyses of African politics, much of the criticism of Laurent Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire), examines his personal use of power. His policies as president reflect his track record as a “leader”—some would say a warlord—in the eastern part of the country who based his activities on smuggling and an occasional kidnapping. His policies as president include banning political activities, banishing prominent opposition leaders—such as Etienne Tshisekedi, who led the fight against Mobutu longer than anyone else—and detaining journalists who criticize his government. Focusing on the individual leader leads to the conclusion, among many who favor a more just DRC, that they should try to tie Kabila’s hands and preclude him from proceeding down a path remarkably similar to Mobutu’s.
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