The State of the State in Congo-Zaire

Abstract

The armed struggle against Mobutu's dictatorship raised many questions regarding the viability of the Zairian State. Indeed, the rebels, led by Mr. Laurent Desire Kabila, did not face strong resistance from the Zairian army assisted by foreign mercenaries. The victory of the rebels clearly demonstrated the extent to which the Zairian State was vulnerables. On the socioeconomic level, the lives of the Zairian people under the Mobutu regime kept deteriorating day after day. Public employees were not receiving their salaries for months or even years, and the army and police that were supposed to protect citizens became, on the contrary, citizens' nightmares. On many occasions, soldiers harassed and terrorized the masses while public services were performed on the basis of briberies or kickbacks. Under Mobutu, Zaire became a kind ofjungle where the rule of law did not exist. In this context, some analysts did not hesitate to argue that the state was no longer existent in Zaire. In any society, the role of the state is to guarantee the protection of its citizens and to provide any other basic needs that promote the welfare of the masses. Unfortunately, Zairian masses whose territory possesses large amounts of mineral resources were among the most impoverished people in the African continent. Hospitals were in bad shape, roads were full of holes, public schools were out most of the time because teachers were never paid on a regular basis, and public services were almost nonexistent. Under these conditions, many students of Zairian politics reached the conclusion that the state did not exist in Zaire. This view was echoed by the Zairian masses, who felt unprotected and subject to conditions for which