Zairean zaire Zairean zaire The Zaire (French: "Zaïre"), was the unit of currency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and then of the Republic of Zaire from 1967 until 1997. There were two distinct currencies. All but six of the 79 series of banknotes issued bear the image of Mobutu Sese Seko. The Zaire (French: "Zaïre"), symbol: "Z", or sometimes "Ƶ", was introduced in 1967, replacing the "Congolese franc" at an exchange rate of 1 zaire = 1000 francs. The zaire was subdivided into 100 "makuta" (singular: "likuta", symbol: "K"), each of 100 "sengi" (symbol: "s"). However, the sengi was worth
Zaire two governments into the High Council of Republic–Parliament of Transition (HCR–PT) in 1994, with Mobutu as head of state and Kengo wa Dondo as prime minister. Although presidential and legislative elections were scheduled repeatedly over the next 2 years, they never took place. By 1996, tensions from the neighbouring Rwandan Civil War and genocide had spilled over to Zaire (see History of Rwanda). Rwandan Hutu militia forces (Interahamwe), who had fled Rwanda following the ascension of an RPF-led government, had been using Hutu refugee camps in eastern Zaire as bases for incursion against Rwanda. These Hutu militia forces soon allied