Reports on the background for the assault on the President's life differ. Reports from news agencies indicated that Kabila had been killed during an intense 30-minute shooting at his palatial residence in the capital. Sources in the UN told CNN that the shooting were a coup attempt that was led by supporters of ex-president Mobutu who had been based in neighbouring Congo Brazzaville. Spokesmen of the seemingly well-informed Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs could however not confirm that there had been a coup attempt. The lethal shots were supposedly fired by Kabila's own lifeguard.
Rumours already go in every direction, also implying the participation of foreign countries.
Some media already have printed reports that army chief Silvestre Lecha was behind the shooting in an attempted coup d' tat. Kabila himself came into power in 1997, after leading a seven months' rebellion, backed by Rwanda and Congolese Tutsis, and overthrowing dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Kabila however quickly showed little will to democratise the DRC, and soon alienated his former allies, now demanding independence for the Tutsi-dominated east. Congo Kinshasa is the scene of what has been called The first African War, where several rebel groups and seven countries are involved. The eastern rebels are backed by Kabila's former allies Rwanda and Uganda, deploying troops in support of the rebels.