The Zairean authorities claimed that the Congolese embassy in Kinshasa had functioned as an intermediary between the Congolese League for Peace and Friendship between the Peoples (LIgue COngolaise pour la Paix et l'Amitié entre les peuples, LICOPA; 'licopa' is also the Lingala word for 'secret complot') and Zairean 'subversives'.
[1][2] Several persons accused of involvement with LICOPA were arrested in Zaire, whilst others were forced into exile.
[2] On August 21, 1971, Zaire declared the Congolese chargé d'affaires in Kinshasa, Lieutenant Eyabo, to be a persona non grata.
[1] In an attempt to revive Congolese-Zairean relations, the Congolese authorities carried out arrests to appease Zaire.
One of the arrested was Ando Ibarra, who had been charged in absentia in a Kinshasa court for endangering national security and spreading 'false rumours' in the Zairean army.