Kabila King

“Kabila King” generally refers to Laurent-Désiré Kabila, a revolutionary leader who overthrew the long-standing dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997 to become the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Born in 1939, Kabila spent decades as a Marxist rebel and gold smuggler, famously failing to impress the revolutionary Che Guevara during their brief collaboration in the 1960s. After seizing power, he reverted the country’s name from Zaire back to the DRC but soon faced a new rebellion—the Second Congo War—launched by his former allies. His presidency was cut short when he was assassinated by his own bodyguard in 2001, after which he was succeeded by his son, Joseph Kabila, who led the country for the next 18 years.