Zaire: Murderous Farce

When an army mutiny and rioting forced President Mobutu Sese Seko to join with the opposition in a coalition government last month, many Zairians rejoiced over what they hoped would spell the end of Mobutu’s 26-year lock on power. But last week, as violence once more swept Zairian cities, the coalition was in a state of disarray — and Mobutu was still there.

The latest unrest was prompted by Mobutu’s ouster of his new Prime Minister, Etienne Tshisekedi, a leader of the opposition coalition, who had angered Mobutu by refusing to swear allegiance to him. Mobutu named a lesser opposition figure, Bernardin Mungul Diaka, as replacement. But Tshisekedi refused to step down. Instead, he rallied opposition support, and the standoff ! continued. What had started as a forced experiment in multiparty democracy had become a murderous farce, and it was far from over.