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Article: In Zaire, a big man still rules the roost. (President Mobutu Sese Seko)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- August 10, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Thunder explodes in the distance and rumbles down the broad expanse of the Zaire River in Kinshasa, the sprawling capital of Zaire. In the deserted downtown, a drunken youth staggers from the doorway of a burned-out shop, his arms outstretched as if to embrace the destruction that surrounds him. "Look, look," he screams in French as lightning flashes in his mirrored sunglasses. "We looted everything!"
For three days last September, Zaire ceased to exist as a country. Soldiers who hadn't been paid started it by looting the General Motors plant near Kinshasa's international airport. Other military units joined in, attacking shops, factories and private homes. Then ...