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Article: African dictators - The big broccoli.(Review)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- July 15, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Economist Newspaper Ltd. 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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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MR KURTZ: LIVING ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER IN THE CONGO. By Michela Wrong. Fourth Estate; 324 pages; Pounds13.99
MOBUTU SESE SEKO, who ruled Zaire for more than 30 years, did not distinguish between the state treasury and his own private bank account. He is reported to have appropriated billions of dollars during his time in power--the equivalent of the country's national debt, some said. After Mobutu died, Michela Wrong, who covered his last years as a Reuters correspondent in Kinshasa and then as the Africa correspondent for the Financial Times, set out to find the money.
She drew a blank. Apart from a few millions lying in bank ...