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Congo to Zaire and back

In 1971 President Mobutu renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo the Republic of Zaire, and the Congo River the Zaire, to replace a colonial-era name with what he saw as an African one. When rebels drove him out in May 1997, their leader changed the country’s name straight back.

Written from cited sourcesLast checked 29 September 2026Suggest a correction

  1. Congo Free State1885–1908
  2. Belgian Congo1908–1960
  3. Republic of the Congo1960–1964
  4. Democratic Republic of the Congo1964–1971
  5. Republic of Zaire1971–1997
  6. Democratic Republic of the Congo1997–

A river’s two names

Both names come from the river. When Europeans first reached it at the end of the 15th century they called it the Zaire, a corruption of a local word, given variously as nzari, nzadi or niadi, that simply means “river”.[4] Only in the early 18th century did it become the “Rio Congo”, after the kingdom of Kongo along its lower course.[4]

The country took the river’s colonial name. At the Berlin Conference of 1884–85, Europe recognised King Leopold II of Belgium as sovereign of the International Association of the Congo, which was renamed the Congo Free State on 1 July 1885.[1] It stayed his private holding until 1908, when Belgium annexed it as the Belgian Congo, a colony run by the Belgian parliament.[1][5]

Two Congos

The Belgian Congo became independent as the Republic of the Congo on 30 June 1960.[1] Across the river, France’s colony of Middle Congo became independent on 15 August 1960 under the very same name, the Republic of the Congo.[1]

So for a while two neighbouring countries had one name. The former Belgian colony changed its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 1 August 1964, and the former French one became the People’s Republic of the Congo on 1 January 1970.[1] People still tell them apart by their capitals, as Congo (Kinshasa) and Congo (Brazzaville).[6]

Zaire

General Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, the army commander, took power in a coup in November 1965.[3] As president he set out to Africanise names, giving the country what he thought was a more authentic African name.[3][6]

On 27 October 1971 the Democratic Republic of the Congo became the Republic of Zaire, and the government announced it would use the name Zaire for the Congo River too.[1] Abroad the river kept being called the Congo.[4] In January 1972 Mobutu renamed himself, from Joseph-Désiré Mobutu to Mobutu Sese Seko Koko Ngbendu Wa Za Banga.[3] The province of Katanga became Shaba.[3]

Back to Congo

In the mid-1990s Laurent Kabila led a rebel alliance, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire, west towards Kinshasa and forced Mobutu to flee.[2] On 17 May 1997 Kabila installed himself as head of state and changed the country’s name back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2]

The name Zaire lasted 26 years. It turned up again in 2026, when the Democratic Republic of the Congo qualified for its second World Cup; its first, in 1974, it had played as Zaire.[6]

Timeline

  1. 18851 July 1885

    The Congo Free State

    Leopold II’s International Association of the Congo is renamed the Congo Free State.[1]

  2. 1908

    The Belgian Congo

    Belgium annexes the Free State as a colony.[1][5]

  3. 196030 June 1960

    Republic of the Congo

    The Belgian Congo becomes independent.[1]

  4. 19641 August 1964

    Democratic Republic of the Congo

    The country adds “Democratic” to its name.[1]

  5. 197127 October 1971

    Republic of Zaire

    Mobutu’s government renames the country, and the river, Zaire.[1]

  6. 1972

    Mobutu Sese Seko

    The president drops his Christian names and takes an African one.[3]

  7. 199717 May 1997

    Congo again

    Laurent Kabila takes power and restores the name Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2]

Sources

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    Laurent Kabila · Encyclopaedia Britannica
  3. [3]
    Mobutu Sese Seko · Encyclopaedia Britannica
  4. [4]
    Congo River · Encyclopaedia Britannica
  5. [5]
    Congo Free State · Encyclopaedia Britannica
  6. [6]
    Democratic Republic of the Congo · Encyclopaedia Britannica

Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.

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