He was also chief doctor of Zaire's army and personal physician to President Mobutu Sese Seko.

VOA: special.2009.02.23

At a party hosted by one of Mobutu Sese Seko's crooked lieutenants, Michela Wrong failed to drain her glass of pink champagne swiftly enough.

ECONOMIST: Non-fiction

He could attract the followers of his fallen allies: Hutus from Rwanda, the late Mobutu Sese Seko's presidential guard from Congo, exiled supporters of Congo-Brazzaville's ex-President Pascal Lissouba.

ECONOMIST: Angola on the way to war

But Rwandan-backed rebels did take Kinshasa once before, in 1997, sweeping away the old dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, and installing Mr Kabila's elephantine father, Laurent.

ECONOMIST: The UN may send more troops to Congo. Would they do any good?