President (
major-general)of the
Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly
Zaire). He replaced his father,
Laurent Kabila, Jan. 2001, at the tender age of 31 many
Congolese fear he is
too young and inexperienced to be and effective leader. After all he has spent most of his life living outside of the country, he barely speaks the predominant
languages of the people he will lead -
French and
Lingala. His ability to lead is a critical issue since the
Congo faces many changes including continuing invasions by the
Himas from the
Republic of Rwanda.
Rwanda and
Uganda, however, might find the '
Young Kabila' a more acceptable
negotiating partner than his father. He has opted for a policy of
open-ness telling the
UN that his government wants the
UN Mission in the
Democratic Republic of Congo to continue its work there.
Sources:
allafrica.com/stories/200101230362.html
www.africaonline.com/news/010119cs.html
www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/drc/20010123a.phtml