First Published: The Call, Vol. 7, No. 26, July 3, 1978.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The following is an excerpted version of an interview with Zairean Marxist-Leninists conducted by the French communist newspaper l’Humanite Rouge. The full text of this interview, entitled, “The True Situation in Zaire,” appeared in the bi-monthly magazine of l’Humanite Rouge, June 21, 1978.
Who are the so-called Katangese liberation forces?
They are the former Katangan gendarmes, mercenaries, who sell themselves to the highest-paying imperialist. First, they slavishly carried out the wishes of Belgian colonialism, defending the secessionist state of Katanga until its collapse. Afterwards, they took refuge in Angola, offering their services to Portuguese colonialism. Thus they ended up fighting against the Angolan national liberation organizations ... and savagely attacking the Angolan people ....
Today, social-imperialism is the rising imperialism ... The Katangan gendarmes have gone over to serving the Soviet social-imperialists ... to further their expansionism ... Soviet social-imperialism ... gave them the name “revolutionary” in the hopes of deceiving our people and misleading international opinion.
Moreover, Soviet social-imperialism, pulling the strings of these puppets, skillfully exploits the problems which colonialism has left behind. They encourage the ethnic division between the Lunda and Luba peoples, a large part of whom live in the south Shaba area and work in the mines ....
The responsibility of the USSR and the Cubans in the present aggression against our country is becoming more and more clear. Testimony by the Zairean population and by foreigners leaving Zaire confirms the presence of Cubans and “whites” on the battlefield itself, secretly directing the former gendarmes.
Where do these aggressors come from?
From Angola, where there are about 30,000 Cuban and Katangan mercenaries. It is good to recall that their [Katangese] leader, General Mbumba, was invited twice to Moscow-once in November-December, 1975, as part of an Angolan delegation, and in March-April 1976, heading his own delegation ....
How do the Zairean Marxist-Leninists evaluate the French and Belgian intervention?
We believe that to resist the Soviet social-imperialist enemy successfully, our people must rely basically on their own forces, and we are fighting for this.
But in the present circumstances, our country faces aggression by a very powerful and devious enemy, and our people must still develop their forces ... Under these circumstances, the intervention of France, while based on its own interests, is a positive thing, to the extent to which it opposes the Soviet-backed aggressors and goes mainly in the direction of defending our country’s independence ....
France, Belgium and Zaire have a common enemy – Soviet social-imperialism – which also threatens the national independence of Belgium and France.
For us, Zairean Marxist-Leninists, the question is whether to accept – not only in words but also in action – the possibility of unity between the countries of the third and second worlds against hegemonism ... Such a front weakens, in particular, the hegemonic designs of the USSR. This is why the USSR, its revisionist lackeys, and Trotskyists of all sorts, do all they can to sabotage it.
Although we struggle against imperialism, it is important to single out ... the two superpowers, the U.S.A. and the USSR. And although we struggle against both superpowers ... it is important to single out which of the two is aggressing against our country.
In so doing, far from relying on one superpower or one imperialism to fight the other, we are further unmasking the principal enemy of our people in order to concentrate our blows against it and prepare for the final elimination of imperialism from our country.
And what about the Mobutu regime?
In the present social situation in Zaire, the masses of people, who have endured endless suffering and misery of all sorts, aspire to a democratic and prosperous regime. Imperialist oppression and exploitation are at the root of the present social system and explain the masses’ debased living conditions.
This is something which only concerns our people and which cannot be changed except through full independence free from foreign interference.
Recently, the Zairean government headed by Mobutu Sese Seko gave in to some pressing demands of our people. To name but a few of these measures:
Nationalization of schools, foreign trade, customs, regulation of export of raw materials, limitation on export of money, greater priority to be given to agriculture in the national economy, measures to allow greater expression of the culture of various national and ethnic groupings, etc.
Of course, we Marxist-Leninists are aware of the limits and weaknesses of these measures and we do not lose sight of the road of bitter struggle that lies ahead for the people to gain democracy and better living conditions. At the same time, we think it positive that measures were adopted tending toward independent national development.
For example, in the area of foreign policy: Mobutu Sese Seko and his government gave in to the pressing desire of the masses to developing understanding and friendship with other peoples. He opened diplomatic relations ... with the People’s Republic of China, kicked out the representatives of the Chiang Kai-shek clique ... supported the proposals of comrade Kim II Sung for the reunification of Korea ... recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization as the Palestinians’ representative, broke his ties with Zionism, expelled its diplomats, technicians ... and joined in the tide of struggle of third world countries for a new economic order. He also strengthened ties with the OAU. whose efforts for the liberation of South Africa he supported.
In 1975, denouncing a U.S, imperialist plot and dissatisfied with various measures damaging to Zaire. the Zairian government of Mobutu Sese Seko expelled the American ambassador from Zaire and refused for a time to give accreditation to the new American ambassador.
Some people would want us to take Mobutu and his government as the principal target at the moment the USSR and its mercenaries are committing aggression against Zaire. This position objectively amounts to support for the aggressive designs of the USS R against our country.
Others want us to make our attack in several directions at the same time. They urge us to struggle blindly and oppose concentrating our blows and our forces against our principal target – Soviet social-imperialism and its mercenaries.
Let us put the question clearly:
– Is Mobutu or is he not resisting the aggression of which our country is now the victim?
– Doesn’t his present opposition to Soviet social-imperialism tend to defend Zaire’s national independence and doesn’t it answer our hope and the hope of our people?
If the reality is that Mobutu is resisting social-imperialism and its mercenaries, then this is a good thing, a very good thing.
The USSR will never give up its ambition of dominating our country, which for the USSR is an attractive prey. Once fallen under Soviet influence, it would accelerate Soviet penetration in Africa and allow it to realize its objectives: to dominate Africa and the rest of the world.
Whatever the issue of the present events, we must unite our forces nationally and prepare ourselves for a prolonged resistance. This resistance will not be genuinely firm and effective except with the mobilization of all of our people.