QUICK AID TO MOBUTU RAISES QUESTIONS

KEY LIST MEMO

View Full PDF in New Tab

Creator

Washington Office on Africa

Place Created

Washington, DC, United States

Date

Undated, apparently about late March 1977

Type of Item

Mailing

Length/duration

2 pages

Description

The memo expressed concern about shipments of military equipment from the U.S., France and Belgium to the Mobutu regime in response to Katanganese "gendarmes" that entered Zaire from Angola and captured a number of towns in southwestern Zaire. Both President Carter and Secretary of State Vance stated that they had not "hard evidence" of Cuban involvement, although other officials made it clear they assumed Angola was backing the rebels. Angola, Tanzania and Zambia appear to regard the struggle as internal. If the gendarmes force cuts the rail line to the north or capture the mines in Shaba, it will affect Zaire's ability to repay its $500 billion debt to U.S. banks. The document quotes Senator...

View Full Description

Organization

Washington Office on Africa

Coverage Africa

Angola
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tanzania
Zambia

Language

English

Digital Format

text/pdf

Rights Management

Used by permission of the Washington Office on Africa.

Collection

Alan Zaslavsky Africa Collection, Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections