By mid-1997 the ADFL forces had completely overrun the country and the remains of Mobutu’s army. The only thing that slowed down the ADFL was the decrepit infrastructure. In many areas there were no paved roads and the only means of transport were irregularly used dirt roads.
Peace talks between Mobutu and Kabila failed. Mobutu fled into exile. Kabila named himself President. Three days later he marched unopposed into Kinshasa. Zaire was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
By 1998, Kabila’s former allies in Uganda and Rwanda turned against him. They backed a new rebellion of the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD). The Second Congo War began. Kabila found new allies in Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe and managed to hold on to the south and west parts of the country. In July, 1999 peace talks led to the withdrawal of most foreign troops.
In the afternoon of January 16, 2001 Kabila was shot by a child soldier who was part of his bodyguard.
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