Zaire: Current information on the relationship between the government and the police
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZAR10750 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Zaire: Current information on the relationship between the government and the police, 1 April 1992, ZAR10750, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac9172.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In addition to information on the participation of the various security forces in actions against government opposition available through you Regional Documentation Centre (in various human rights reports, the IRBDC's Q&A Paper on Zaire and the Indexed Media Review), please find attached a few articles that provide information on power relations in Zaire. These contain references to the relationship between Mobutu Sese Seko and important figures in the security forces.
One of the attached articles describes as "Mobutu stalwarts" Generals Baramoto (spelled in another source as Bara Moto) of the Garde Civile, Nzimbi of the Division Spéciale Présidentielle, Bolongo of the Service National d'Intelligence et de Protection and Bolozi of the Gendarmerie (Africa Confidential 11 Oct. 1991). The article, however, states that these generals are "widely detested inside and outside the armed forces" (Ibid.).
Another article attached to this Response names General Bara Moto, président général of the Garde Civile, as a member of Mobutu's ethnic group (Ngbandi) belonging to the president's most trusted inner circle (Jeune Afrique 9-15 Apr. 1992, 50). The article adds that Bara Moto holds the Garde Civile with an "iron fist" (main de fer) (Ibid., 55).
Additional recent (late-1991, 1992) references on the relationship between the police forces and the government could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.
References
Africa Confidential [London]. 11 October 1991. "Zaïre: Endgame in Kinshasa."
Jeune Afrique [Paris]. 9-15 April 1992. "Les Barons de Mobutu."
Attachments
Africa Confidential [London]. 11 October 1991. "Zaïre: Endgame in Kinshasa."
. 6 March 1992. "Zaïre: The Long Goodbye."
Jeune Afrique [Paris]. 9-15 April 1992. "Les Barons de Mobutu."