Mobutu Sese Seko

In the early 1970s, then-President Mobutu Sese Seko granted citizenship to anyone who had originated from Rwanda or Burundi, provided they were present on Congolese territory before 1960.

In 1997, he was part of the Rwanda-backed forces who ended up seizing power in DR Congo, ousting long-serving ruler Mobutu Sese Seko.

DR Congo's long-time leader Mobutu Sese Seko oversaw their construction in the 1970s and 1980s, but by the end of the century, both dams were dilapidated due to a lack of funding for their maintenance.

Two years after the genocide, Rwanda and Uganda invaded eastern Congo to try and root out what remained of those genocide perpetrators, which led to the toppling of then Congo President Mobutu Sese Seko.

They stayed there until 1985, when Étienne Tshisekedi's long-time rival, autocratic leader Mobutu Sese Seko, allowed the mother and children to leave.