Zaire: Information on the current extent of President Mobutu's control over Zaire
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZAR25709.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Zaire: Information on the current extent of President Mobutu's control over Zaire, 1 December 1996, ZAR25709.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acac34.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. |
The attached recent reports describe how President Mobutu continues to maintain control over key security and military forces. The reports also maintain that key positions in the military and security services are held by Mobutu's relatives and members of his own tribe. Mobutu allegedly uses this situation to intimidate opponents and to commit numerous human rights abuses (Alternatives Dec. 1996, 1; Africa News Apr. 1996; La Lettre hebdomadaire 7-15 Feb. 1996, 13).
For further information on the above-mentioned subject, please refer to Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995, available at all Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Africa News [Durham, NC]. April 1996. "United States and Africa (Document) Law Group Opposes U.S. Visa for Mobutu." (NEXIS)
Alternatives [Montreal]. December 1996. Vol. 3, No. 3. "Zaïre: agonie d'une dictature."
La Lettre hebdomadaire de la FIDH [Paris]. 7-15 February 1996. No. 625-626. "Des services de sécurité pléthoriques ou la répression en uniforme."
Attachments
Africa Confidential [London]. 29 November 1996. Vol. 37, No. 24. "Zaire: a hard Homecoming," pp. 1-2.
Africa News [Durham, NC]. April 1996. "United States and Africa (Document) Law Group Opposes U.S. Visa for Mobutu." (NEXIS)
Alternatives [Montreal]. December 1996. Vol. 3, No. 3. "Zaïre: agonie d'une dictature."
The Economist Intelligence Unit Business Africa [Vienna]. 16 November 1996. "Zaire: Thinks Fall Apart." (NEXIS)
La Lettre hebdomadaire de la FIDH [Paris]. 7-15 February 1996. No. 625-626. "Des services de sécurité pléthoriques ou la répression en uniforme."
Reuters. 3 November 1996. BC Cycle. "Zaire Who's Who on the Political Stage." (NEXIS)