Difference between revisions of "Zaïre"

Revision as of 04:27, 18 March 2006

Republic of Zaïre
République du Zaïre

Flag and coat of arms of Zaïre
Motto: Justice - Peace - Work French: Justice - Paix - Travail
Anthem: La Zaïroise
Capital	Kinshasa 4°24′ S 15°24′ E
Largest city	Kinshasa
Major Languages	French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
Government President Prime Minister	Republic Léopold Honoré Mobutu Victor Ngbanda
Independence -Date	From Belgium June 30, 1960
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	2,345,410 km² (12th) 3.3%
Population  - 2006  - Density	60,085,804 (23rd) 24/km² (182)
GDP (PPP)   - Total   - Per capita	$46.27 billion $800
Currency  - Exchange rate	Zaïre $1 (USD) = 437.86 Zaïres
National animal	Leopard
Time zone  - Summer (DST)	CET, EET (UTC +1 to +2) not observed (UTC +1 to +2)
Internet TLD	.zr
Calling code	+243

The Republic of Zaïre (French: République du Zaïre) is a Central African nation bordered by Central African Republic and Sudan on the north; Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania on the east; Zambia and Angola on the south; and Republic of the Congo/Congo-Brazzaville on the west. Zaïre, the third largest nation in Africa, is blessed with vast reserves of minerals and other natural resources, making it one of the most geologically wealthy nations in the world and a potential economic powerhouse; however, since its chaotic debut as an independent nation on June 30, 1960, it has suffered considerably, from one catastrophe to another, including, but not limited to, the Congo Crisis, severe repression, corruption, and economic crisis, and later, two devastating civil wars, the First Congo War and the Second Congo War; the latter went on to become the most deadly conflict since World War II, earning it the nickname Africa's World War.

History

Note: This deals exclusively with Zaïre (or rather, the NS Zaïre) of March 5, 2006-present; for previous history, click here.

A "coup of conscience?"

As of early 2006, the civil war was still ongoing, with the peace process progressing sluggishly (if at all), the economy in free-fall, starvation and disease rampant, and sporadic skirmishes and pervasive lawlessness in the southeastern portions of the country. Waiting in the wings was a mysterious lieutenant general, Léopold Honoré Mobutu, who grew disgusted and frustrated with the dire straits his country was in and the inept, hopelessly corrupt politicians, staged a "coup of conscience" in order to save the country "from anarchy, corruption, and violence." He immediately declared himself President and renamed the country Zaïre, in "honor" of Mobutu Sese Seko (no relation), whom he professed to admire deeply. Citing the peace, political stability, patriotism, and prosperity characterized by Mobutu's early years, he pledged to "revive the great legacy of a once great man, and bring greatness to this nation." However, first he began a "house cleaning" operation that saw hundreds of politicians, black marketeers, fraudsters, and others accused of corruption, heinously executed before huge audiences, after being hastily tried and found guilty by kangaroo courts. As the new Mobutu was himself quite corrupt, many wondered if those individuals were really executed for corruption, or because they were potential threats; of course, they wondered quietly, as the new Mobutu also was quick to revive the old intelligence services, secret police, etc. of the "old Mobutu" era. As Mobutu endlessly praised the "old Mobutu" and his "legacy of the early days," Zaïreans were quick to notice that the unsavory aspects of the old Mobutu regime- rampant corruption and severe repression- had returned as well, in full force. He had, for example, once again made the Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution the sole legal party, and had made membership compulsory for all citizens. They could only hope the original Mobutu's pitiful economic legacy (post-1974, that is) would not be brought back, as well, as Zaïre's economy was in shambles as it was.

"Radicalization of the revolution"

It was not long before he declared a "radicalization of the revolution," as "the old Mobutu" had done in the mid-70s. This entailed several extremely radical, drastic, sweeping changes.

Zaïrianization

One of these major changes was called Zaïrianization. Like the original program of that name, this one was short-sighted, far-fetched, ill-planned, hampered by corruption, and doomed to failure. All foreign-owned estates, banks, stores, businesses, plantations, and other properties were seized without compensation (although the President falsely promised that full compensation would be provided) and given "to sons of the country" (in reality, to political allies, party stalwarts, family members, and friends, as well as enemies whose loyalty he wanted to buy).

International reaction

This caused an international uproar, especially in Disraeliland. In addition to the deleterious effect it would have on the Zaïrean economy and on the Zaïrean people, the Disraeliland government denounced the move as tyrannical, immoral, and a blatant violation of property rights. Disraeliland subsequently seized Zaïrean properties in their country, threatened to take the matter to court, and threatened to recall their ambassador, Emily Chan. A heated argument ensued between the governments of the two countries, and, with neither of them able to see eye to eye, they both recalled their ambassadors.

Results of Zaïrianization

Economically, Zaïrianization was a total disaster. Inflation climbed to almost 5,000%, unemployment reached a level of 72%, virtually all nationalized industries quickly became bankrupt, most basic necessities (including food and petrol) became extremely rare, and street crime soared. Moreover, most of the nationalized property was handed to party stalwarts, blood relatives, old friends, or enemies whose loyalty Mobutu wanted to buy. Corruption, already a serious problem, soared to an all-pervasive level, permeating every area of society. Bribery, black marketeering, and fraud were rife.

Authenticité

Authenticité, too, was a revival of one of the "old Mobutu's" programs of the same name. The chief purpose of authenticité was to revive traditional African culture, promote strong African values, instill in the people national pride, and foster national unity that would transcend tribalism. Examples of authenticité included the outlawing of Western attire, to be replaced with the abacost (à bas le costume, French for "down with the suit") for men, and pagnes for women. All Zaïreans were ordered by presidential decree to replace their Christian names with African ones (although very few members of the elite did so). The terms monsieur and madame, were replaced with citoyen and citoyenne, just as they were in France during the French Revolution.

Consolidation of power

Mobutu also made great efforts to centralize, consolidate, and expand governmental power to the fullest extent possible. The authority of local and regional governments was reduced to the absolute minimum, making them, in effect, little more than figureheads. All unions were consolidated into a single government-controlled one, Union Nationale des Travailleurs Zaïrois (UNTZA), which all workers, in both public and private sectors, were required to join. Membership in the youth wing of the ruling party, Union Nationale des Travailleurs Zaïrois (JMPR), became compulsory for all children aged 6-16, so they could undergo military training and be indoctrinated in government dogmas. All high school and college students were required to join a government-controlled union called Union Générale des Étudiants Congolais (UGEC), as teenagers/young adults tend to be rebellious, and the government wanted to keep an eye on them to ensure that they did not dissent in any way. All Zaïreans, regardless of age, automatically became compulsory, life-long members of Corps des Volontaires de la République, a pro-government paramilitary militia, although few attended training sessions, and even fewer actively participated in it.

Cult of personality

Finally, the last agenda of the radicalization of the revolution was the establishment of a massive personality cult surrounding the President. He assumed grand titles such as Founder of the Nation, the Guide, Father of the Revolution, Savior of the World, Mulopwe (god, or emperor), and even the Messiah. All local, regional, and national government officials, all civil servants, and all members of the armed forces, were required to wear lapel badges with his miniature portrait. His portrait appeared on every banknote, coin, and stamp. The evening news was proceeded by an image of him descending from heaven through the clouds, as ecstatic dancers and an awestruck choir greeted his arrival with extreme joy. Every adult citizen was required by law to own at least one portrait of the President. T-shirts and apparel, washcloths, towels, and even bedsheets, bearing his image were widely available. Tall golden statues of the President were erected in public squares, former residences and other significant places of his life became national pilgrimage points, and billboards of him were everywhere. All schools were secularized, with all religious symbols being replaced by portraits of the President. The President himself surrounded himself with sycophants who endlessly lavished praise unto him, singing, dancing, and animating in order to earn his favor.

Invasion of Zambia

Contemplatively and greedily eyeing the vast mineral wealth of Zaïre's southern neighbor, Zambia, President Mobutu was elated by the opportunity to seize that wealth, an opportunity he exploited to the fullest. After arranging a staged, bogus Zambian "attack," he launched a "self-defense" invasion of Zambia. The war was won with relative ease, although the Zaïreans did suffer high casualties (though admittedly not as high as the Zambians). Zambia was henceforth annexed as a colony of Zaïre.

Restructuring of the revolution

Bowing to international pressure, and desperate to prevent further economic decline, President Mobutu reluctantly announced that the government would begin gradually introducing free-market policies. Mobutu also scapegoated thirty businessmen, all personal enemies of his, and blamed them for the economic havoc. In hastily arranged, flagrantly rigged trials, they were found guilty by a military tribunal, sentenced to death, and publicly dismembered, with their remains fed to crocodiles. With the "culprits" punished, Mobutu thus announced the following reforms:

• The repeal of most wage and price controls
• The return of all formerly foreign-owned businesses to their owners, with full compensation
• The reduction of tariff levels to 5-10% or lower
• The privatization and de-regulation of 85% of government-owned businesses
• The gradual privatization of all government social welfare, education, health, etc. programs
• The end of all business subsidies, except those to Gécamines, Miba, Celza, and Sozacom
• Turning over control of the major state corporations, such as Gécamines, Miba, Celza, and Sozacom, to private ownership: they would remain state-owned, but for the first time, they would be privately managed

He explained the reforms as follows: "We must not let our emphasis on ideology take priority over the development of our nation any longer."

In addition to reversing the economy's downward trend and fostering healthy, relatively steady growth, the reforms were received warmly by the international community and led to improved relationships abroad, most notably with Disraeliland. The two countries shortly afterwards resumed full diplomatic relations.

Politics

Zaïre is a one-party state. There is only one legal political party, the MPR (Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution), to which all citizens belong (membership is compulsory, and all newborn children automatically become members). The party is presided over by President Mobutu. While the government was originally avowedly anti-capitalist, it was even more anti-communist, denouncing and opposing communism more strongly than almost any other nation in the world. Whereas members of most opposition parties (all of which are illegal and underground) are imprisoned for a period of five years, members of the outlawed Zaïrean Communist Party are publicly executed. For the most part, the government has no official policy, describing itself as "neither left, nor right, nor even center," and emphasizing instead complete devotion to Le Guide (as Mobutu is known).

Executive

All executive powers are vested in Mobutu's hands, and he wields absolute authority and has total control over all branches of the government, whether it's the national government, or a local or regional one. A hand-picked prime minister serves as the de jure head of government, although President Mobutu is the de facto head of state as well as head of government. The prime minister, a mere figurehead, is given next to nothing to do, except rubber-stamp Mobutu's policies and implement his decisions. The President has a 22 member cabinet, whose members advise him on matters such as national security, the economy, or foreign affairs. The cabinet members are as follows:

• Foreign Minister: Moise Karl-i-Bond
• Minister of Defense: Félix Mobutu
• Minister of Economics: Pierre Nguz Kimba
• Minister of the Central Bank: Eugène Mobutu
• Minister of Commerce and Trade: Antoine Wa Dondo
• Minister of Treasury and Finance: Jean Emery Kasenda
• Minister of Parastatals: Milton Kasavubu
• Minister of Propaganda: Jacques Mobutu
• Minister of Culture and Heritage: Patrice Mulele
• Minister of Press and Information: Adolphe Mobutu
• Head of Service National d'Intelligence et de Protection (SNIP): Dominique Gbemani
• Head of Service d'Action et de Renseignements Militaire (SARM): Ernest Kabila
• Minister of Justice and Law and Order: François Mobutu
• Minister of Paramilitaries: Mathieu Mulamba
• Minister of Health and Social Welfare: Laurent Mobutu
• Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Paul Ndombasi
• Minister of Education: Bernadette Mobutu
• Minister of Labor and Social Security: Mpinga Adoula
• Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure: Etienne Tshombe
• Minister of Civil Service: Henry Masangu
• Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources: Elysse Manoka
• Minister of Tourism: Mukenda Tshipasa

Legislative

Zaïre's legislative branch consists of a unicameral legislature called the Conseil National Législatif (National Legislative Council, or CNL), with 310 members, elected to five-year terms by popular vote. Only government-approved candidates are eligible for office, however, and the CNL has very limited legislative powers. Real legislative power is delegated to the Central Committee of the MPR, with the CNL relegated to a meager role of doing little more than approving party initiatives.

Judicial

The judicial branch is structured hierarchically, with most powers vested in the Supreme Court. The judicial system is based on a mixture of Western law and African traditional law, although, since the launching of Mobutu's authenticité program, the latter has had a greater influence. Most local disputes and legal matters are settled by tribal elders, rather than by judges. Each of the country's 10 regions has a tribunal, comprised of several subregional rural and city tribunals (although the rural and city tribunals do very little, because, again, disputes on that level are mainly relegated to tribal authorities). There are three courts of appeal, located in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Kisangani, although they wield little real power. Like the legislative branch, the judicial branch is subject to the total control of the President.

Regions

The country is divided into 10 regions and 1 indepdendent city (Kinshasa). As Zaïre has a unitary system, the regions wield very little power, and the country is highly centralized, with nearly all power concentrated in the presidency. The following are the 10 regions and the independent city, numbered according to map location:

• 1. Bandundu
• 2. Bas-Congo
• 3. Equateur
• 4. Kasai-Occidental
• 5. Kasai-Oriental
• 6. Shaba
• 7. Kinshasa
• 8. Maniema
• 9. Nord-Kivu
• 10. Haut-Zaïre
• 11. Sud-Kivu

Foreign Relations

Zaïre officially pursues a non-aligned, neutral foreign policy. It has several embassies abroad and maintains warm relations with several countries. The following countries have embassies in Zaïre:

• Callisdrun
• Disraeliland
• Greece
• Habzehn Deut
• Iberia
• IDF
• Laurasia
• United Eastern Republic

While Zaïre maintains that its foreign policy is non-interventionist, the facts suggest otherwise. It secretly harbors, trains, arms, and finances the elusive, enigmatic Laurasian terrorist organization known as The Syndicate. It is one of the main supporters of that organization, a fact safely hidden from the international community. Zaïre also plays a major role in the international drug trade, both smuggling illicit drugs into other countries and growing several of these drugs itself. For reasons unknown, Zaïre provides substantial- though never open- support for many insurgencies and rebel factions around the world. It also is secretly aiding Austria, Greece, and Iberia against Habzehn Deut, by contributing troops but disguising it as purely a mercenary operation.

Although not enemies, Zaïre and Gashgalgabrad are known to have cool relations, and their distrust of each other is mutual.

Economy

Officially, Zaïre has neither a capitalist, socialist, or communist economic policy. The state plays an extensive role in the economy, though the extent of its role depends on a variety of factors, such as to whom a certain business belongs, whether a corporation is state-run or privately owned, etc. Zaïre briefly took a radical turn to the left during Zaïrianization, but has since begun slowly implementing neoliberal austerity measures to accelerate sluggish growth, modernize the country, and create prosperity. Interestingly, businesses owned by those suspected of disloyalty are heavily taxed and hampered by a myriad of ridiculously restrictive, overly bureaucratic, stringent laws regulating even the most miniscule of that business's activities. Businesses owned by family, friends, and allies are exempt from taxation, given free rein to do virtually anything they want, and heavily subsidized. The major industries, especially copper and diamond mining, are handled by state-owned industries (by Gécamines and Miba, respectively) run by government bureacrats thoroughly loyal to the President. All plantations not owned by foreigners are also state-run, having been nationalized and merged into a conglomerate called Celza. Almost all industries, public and private, but especially the parastatals, are frequently looted by the President and his associates and relatives. As such, bribery and corruption are rife. The national bank, called the Banque du Kinshasa, is treated like the President's personal account, as he spends as much of its money as he wants, whenever he wants, and on whatever he wants.

Zaïre is one of the poorest countries in the world. Years of over-bureaucratization, endemic corruption, and mismanagement have almost irreparably crippled the economy. The overwhelmingly vast majority of the populace lives in absolute poverty, and starvation afflicts a large percentage of the population. Civil servants and soldiers often go months without being paid (the sole exception to the latter being the Division Spéciale Présidentielle, the elite unit tasked with defending the President), and their salaries are almost comically low. Beggars and prostitution abound, street crime is a serious problem, and police and soldiers often set up road-blocks so they can extort money from terrified and helpless civilians.

One of the most tragic things about it is that Zaïre is potentially one of the wealthiest nations in the world, blessed with huge reserves of cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, and timber. Geologically speaking, it is one of the richest nations on the planet. Economically speaking, it is an impoverished nation reduced to begging the international community for hand-outs.

Demographics

Age distribution

• 0-14 years: 48.1% (male 14,513,779/female 14,396,952)
• 15-64 years: 49.4% (male 14,579,101/female 15,121,297)
• 65 years and over: 2.5%

Median age

• Total: 15.8 years
• Male: 15.4 years
• Female: 16.2 years

Population growth rate

2.98%

Birth rate

44.38 births/1,000 population

Death rate

14.43 deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate

-0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Note: fighting between the Zaïrean government and rebel groups operating in Uganda and Rwanda sparked a regional war that has left millions dead and nearly 2 million displaced. Over 300,000 Zaïreans have fled to neighboring countries, and, although the war is over for the most part, sporadic guerrilla skirmishes in the eastern and southeastern regions prevents them from returning in the foreseeable future

Sex ratio

• At birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
• Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
• 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
• Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female

Infant mortality rate

• Total: 92.87 deaths/1,000 live births
• Male: 101.25 deaths/1,000 live births
• Female: 84.23 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

• Total population: 49.35 years
• Male: 47.29 years
• Female: 51.47 years

Total fertility rate

6.54 children born/woman

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 4.2%

Major infectious diseases

• Degree of risk: very high
• Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
• Vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high :risks in some locations
• Water contact disease: schistosomiasis

Nationality

• Noun: Zaïrean (singular), Zaïreans (plural)
• Adjective: Zaïrean

Ethnic groups

Over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Religions

• Roman Catholic 50%
• Protestant 20%
• Kimbanguist 10%
• Muslim 10%
• other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%

Literacy

• Definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba
• Total population: 65.5%
• Male: 76.2%
• Female: 55.1%