1997 in Zaire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following lists events that happened during 1997 in Zaire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
See also:History of Zaire
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| See also: | Other events of 1997 History of the DRC | ||||
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Incumbents
- name changed from Zaire to Democratic Republic of the Congo on 17 May 1997
- President -
- Mobutu Sese Seko, President of Zaire (1965–1997)
- Laurent-Désiré Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–2001)
- Head of Government -
Events
| Date | event |
|---|---|
| Sizarail is dissolved and all operations are taken over by the Société nationale des chemins de fer du Congo (SNCC).[1] | |
| 18 February | United Nations Security Council Resolution 1097 is adopted unanimously, in which the Council endorsed a five-point peace plan to address the situation in eastern Zaire.[2] |
| 29 March | Société Minière et Industrielle du Kivu (Sominki) is put into liquidation.[3] |
| 16 May | Donatien Mahele Lieko Bokungu, army chief of staff, is killed by Mobutu loyalists.[4] |
| 16 May | First Congo War concludes when forces under Laurent-Désiré Kabila enter Kinshasa |
| 17 May | Zaire is renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bank of Zaire becomes Central Bank of the Congo |
| 16 May | First Congo War concludes when forces under Laurent-Désiré Kabila enter Kinshasa |
| 17 May | Zaire is renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bank of Zaire becomes Central Bank of the Congo |
| 27 May | Decree Law No. 3 defines a structure with a president, government, courts and tribunals.[5] |
| 29 May | Kabila announces schedule for the transition to democracy. Elections are to be held in May 1999.[5] |
| 1 July | Ismail Tutu'emoto and Bunia Luminangulu disappear. They had returned from exile to support the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL), but had criticized Kabila, which seems to have led to their arrest.[5] |
| 28 October | Professor Kalele Ka Bila and Jean-Francois Kabanda are arrested for calling on citizens to overthrow the "Tutsi invaders". Both were supporters of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS).[5] |