“The African President Who Received No Presidential Send-Off And Was Buried In A Foreign Country”

“The African President Who Received No Presidential Send-Off And Was Buried In A Foreign Country”

Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga, that was the name he adopted in 1972 after abandoning his birth name, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu. He ruled Zaire now Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩 for more than 31 years.

However, despite ruling the country for over three decades, he was never laid to rest in his homeland. The new Congolese government under Kabila ignored his death. There was no presidential send-off, no military honours, and no state funeral. Instead, he was buried in a quiet family ceremony thousands of kilometres away from home in Rabat, Morocco.

When the forces of Laurent-Désiré Kabila finally toppled his government in May 1997, the ailing Mobutu fled the country. After failing to secure asylum elsewhere, he arrived in Morocco on 23 May 1997, where he sought refuge.

Mobutu died on 7 September 1997 at the age of 66 after battling prostate cancer. He was buried in a Christian cemetery in Rabat, Morocco, where his remains remain to this day.