Zaire wider campaign of , ridding the country of the influences from the colonial era of the Belgian Congo, was also launched under Mobutu's direction. Weakened by the end of American support after the end of the Cold War, Mobutu was forced to declare a new republic in 1990 to cope with demands for change. By the time of its downfall, Mobutu's rule was characterised by widespread cronyism, corruption and economic mismanagement. Zaire collapsed in the 1990s, amid the destabilization of the eastern parts of the state in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and growing ethnic violence. In 1996, ,
27th Tactical Air Support Squadron The 27th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, in October 1953 and assigned to the 27th Strategic Fighter Wing. The mission of the unit was to provide global refueling for the Strategic Air Command (SAC) 27th and 12th Strategic Fighter Wings at Bergstrom and other USAF units as directed. The unit was inactivated in 1957 shortly after SAC transferred its fighters to Tactical Air Command and a SAC refueling unit was no longer required to support them. The 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron was activated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona in July 1977, but