ABSTRACT
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is approximately the size of Western Europe and is the third largest state in Africa. It is strategically located in the centre of the continent and has boundaries with nine states: Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola. Mutiny in the army was followed by a secessionist movement in Katanga with its rich mineral deposits. The UN offered no assistance, the prime minister was assassinated and the country was plunged into popular insurrections which were ended on 24 November 1965 by Sese Seko Mobutu with a CIA-assisted coup. However, Kabilas hold on power has been at best tenuous and what was essentially a long-running internal conflict has been transformed into a regional war. At one stage, troops from Rwanda and Uganda almost ousted the government, which was saved only by support from Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia. More recently, Chad and Sudan have also sent troops to support Kabila.
