Laurent Kabila - War "Hero" (1998)

Excerpt from the draft of “Apostle to the Pygmies – The Doctor Jerry Galloway Story”

Kabila was a popular hero because of the war. The people rallied behind him because they were angry that Uganda and Rwanda sent troops to fight on the side of the rebels. They felt the U.S., and especially France, supported Uganda and Rwanda to destabilize Kabila. The people did not understand why the U.S. and the United Nations did not condemn Uganda and Rwanda for invading the Congo. I felt the U.S. should publicly tell Uganda and Rwanda to pull their troops out of the Congo.

I believe Kabila wants to install a dictatorship, even though the people recognize him as the legitimate president. The countries of Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have stationed soldiers in the Congo. The war has caused the Congolese people to suffer. It did not resolve the Tutsi-Hutu problem that exists in the Congo, Rwanda, and other places.

The problem will only get worse for the Tutsi Congolese, who have lived in the eastern Congo for over 100 years. When Kabila finally won, it seemed the Tutsi-Congolese would not be allowed to live in the Congo, since everyone hated them and wanted to kill them. No one knew how many Tutsi civilians have already died. They were rounded up and put in military prisons at the beginning of August when the war started.