Zaire (spelled Zaïre in French) was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between October 27, 1971, and May 17, 1997. Although it came into use in 1971, the name Zaire is often still used for the portion of the Congo that was controlled by Mobutu Sese Seko.
Congo-Ripples of Genocide
There is no place on earth like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC - formerly called Zaire under President Mobutu Sese Seko) is the widest interstate war in modern African history. The Congolese war is estimated to have taken over three million lives since 1996. Ripples from the genocide in Rwanda hit the Congo like a tidal wave. The DRC has become an environment in which numerous foreign players have become involved, some within the immediate sub-region and some from much further areas. That only serves to complicate the situation and to make peaceful resolution of the conflict that much more complex. The war, centered mainly in eastern Congo, has involved nine African nations and directly affected the lives of 50 million Congolese.
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