Special Presidential Division
Military unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Special Presidential Division (DSP; French Division Spéciale Présidentielle) was an elite praetorian guard unit created by Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko in 1985[2] and charged with his personal security.
| Special Presidential Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1985–1997 |
| Country |  Zaire |
| Allegiance | Mobutu Sese Seko |
| Type | Praetorian Guard Protective security unit Special operations force |
| Role | Special operations Expeditionary warfare Special reconnaissance Direct action |
| Size | 5–10,000 (5,200 estimated in 1988[1]) |
| Part of | Zairian Armed Forces (FAZ) |
| Base | Kinshasa |
| Equipment | AK-47 AKM M16 FN FAL Type 56 UZI and some artillery |
| Engagements | Rwandan Civil War First Congo War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Nzimbi Ngbale |
History
It was initially called the Special Presidential Brigade (French: Brigade spéciale présidentielle) before being enlarged into a division in 1986, and was one of several competing forces directly linked to the president, along with the Civil Guard and Service for Action and Military Intelligence.[3] Trained by Israeli advisors, the DSP was among the few units paid adequately and regularly.[4]
It was commanded by Mobutu's cousin, General Etienne Nzimbi Ngbale Kongo wa Basa.[5] The soldiers were recruited only from Mobutu's own tribe.[6] The force was used to deal with internal opponents or suspected opponents. People were taken away, tortured, imprisoned without trial, exiled to another part of the country, or simply disappeared.[6]
After the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) invaded northern Rwanda which lead to the Rwandan Civil War, Mobutu sent several hundred DSP troops to assist the government of Juvénal Habyarimana.[7][8] In 1993, the DSP was sent to quell unrest in Masisi, North Kivu but inflamed the situation after it sided with the Hutu residents against the indigenous Bahunde.[9] It also shipped cobalt from Shaba Province to Zambia. (Reno 1997, 48) A 1996 United Nations report noted that Prime Minister Étienne Tshisekedi and his staff were subject to routine surveillance and harassment by DSP soldiers.[10]