Mobutu Sese Seko

Full Name: Joseph-Desiré Mobutu
Profession: Dictator and President of Zaire

Nationality:

Biography: Dictator and President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (which Mobutu renamed Zaire in 1971 and his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko) from 1965 to 1997.

Installed in a bloodless coup in 1964 the Colonel was supported in office primarily by Belgium and the United States. He formed an authoritarian regime, amassed vast personal wealth, and attempted to purge the country of all colonial cultural influence while enjoying considerable support by the United States due to his anti-communist stance.

Mobutu was notorious for corruption, nepotism, and the embezzlement of between US$4 bn and $15 billion during his reign, as well as extravagances such as Concorde-flown shopping trips to Paris.

He presided over the country for over three decades, a period of widespread human rights violations. Mobutu has been described as the "archetypal African dictator."

Born: October 14, 1930
Birthplace: Lisala, Équateur, Belgian Congo

Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Horse
Star Sign: Libra

Died: September 7, 1997 (aged 66)
Cause of Death: Prostate cancer