Zaire, Mobutu are history

"Don't call them rebels, call them liberators."
Kinshasa resident, on the arrival of Laurent Kabila's troops in the capital

The 32-year dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko crumbled under the challenge of rebel leader Laurent Kabila, and the large sub-Saharan country of Zaire became the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kabila proclaimed himself president on May 17, the day after Mobutu finally conceded to the inevitable and quietly slipped abroad into exile.

The final transfer of power appeared peaceful but was hastened by the easy advance of Kabila's rebel troops, who seized control of the country in a matter of months.

Cease-fire talks mediated by South Africa in the final weeks failed to bring the parties closer but did appear to help Mobutu recognize the need to forfeit power.

Kabila's troops were greeted by cheering crowds as they entered the capital, Kinshasa.

Kabila promptly changed the country's name and flag, and promised elections would be held in 1999. But some observers worried about the prospects for democracy as he suppressed political opposition and eliminated the positions of vice president and prime minister.

Mobutu, thought to have bilked his native land of untold millions of dollars, had returned from treatment abroad for prostate cancer in March to try to hold on as Kabila advanced. He died September 7 in exile in Morocco.

The United Nations, meanwhile, investigated allegations that Kabila and his troops abused the human rights of refugees in his rapid rise to power. He did little to ease this perception by blocking a U.N. investigation into alleged massacres.