Mobutu Sese Seko, former President of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), passed away on September 7th, 1997, at the age of 66. Born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu in 1930, in Lisala, Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), he was a self-proclaimed authentic African leader who brought an independent African republic to Zaire. He served as President of Zaire from 1965 to 1997. He was heralded for spearheading the fight for greater independence of African countries from outside interests and for his commitment to solving the economic miseries of the nation. In his early career, Mobutu was an army officer who fought against the forces of Patrice Lumumba during the Congolese independence struggle. After Lumumba’s assassination in 1961, Mobutu took power and declared himself President of Zaire, which was then a personal dictatorship. He remained in power until 1977 when elections were held for the first time, where he was re-elected with a 99.9% vote. Under his rule, natural resources were exploited and government funds misused, leading to an economic crisis in the nation. International pressure on Mobutu increased in 1993 when he was accused of disregarding human rights and misappropriating funds, further marginalizing the population of Zaire. He was succeeded by Laurent-Desiré Kabila in 1997 and died a few months later. Mobutu Sese Seko will be remembered as the leader who brought independence to Zaire and advocated for African self-determination during his 32-year Presidency.