Assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila

Laurent-Désiré Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated in his office inside his official residence at the Palais de Marbre, Kinshasa on 16 January 2001.

[1] In November 2000, Kabila thought that he had discovered a plot against him, and had arrested, tormented, and killed soldiers loyal to Commandant Anselme Masasu Nindaga [sv], who had days earlier made a speech at a reunion for 1,200 kadogos in Kinshasa.

[4] The conspiracy to murder Kabila began in early January 2001, when a group of kadogos traveled to Brazzaville and prepared Operation Mbongo Zero.

[1] Former Health Minister Leonard Mashako Mamba was next door to the office when Kabila was shot, and arrived immediately after the assassination.

Curfew that day started at 6 pm, and after 8 hours, a motorcade set off from the clinic for the long drive to N'djili Airport, escorting the ambulance.

Armed Zimbabwean soldiers stood around the People's Palace, where the funeral took place, and nearby roads were blocked by armored cars.

Foreign Minister Louis Michel told RTBF that Kabila's death was not a coup d'etat but was rather "an argument that descended into violence".

[14] Eddy Kapend made the following appearance on the Congolese television: “To the Army Chief of Staff, to commander of ground, air and naval forces and all regional military commanders: I order you to take charge of your units.” He continued, “Until further notice, no guns shall be fired for whatever reason.”[14] 19 years later, on 8 January 2021, President Félix Tshisekedi had pardoned 28 of the convicted inmates who served their sentences in 2005 from the Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa.

Between 2009 and 2011, journalists Arnaud Zajtman and Marlène Rabaud [fr] researched and produced an investigative film about Kabila's killing with Al Jazeera.

The film, titled Murder in Kinshasa, concludes that those convicted of Kabila's death are innocent, and that the assassination was in fact organized by Congolese rebel forces with the support of the Rwandan government, and approval of the United States.