When the economy began to stagnate, the political system devolved into a conglomeration of administrative agencies, each trying to amass what they could for themselves. An enormous black market began to develop as people withdrew from the government, and when the economy went underground, its value continued to plummet. The overall result, according to Reed, was a weak decentralized political system vulnerable to overthrow. When civil war broke out in neighboring Rwanda last year, refugees of genocide fled across the Zairian border and launched raids back into Rwanda from the refugee camps. In the wake of the ADFL's advances, the Zairian army's scorched-earth policy only enhanced the Kabila's popularity.
People line the streets waving their hands and cheering.
Although Kabila eventually succeeds in driving Mobutu out of the country, opposition parties, recently legalized by Mobutu, are already in place in the remnants of the government and have fare more organization than the ADFL, which Kabila summarily bans upon taking control. You organize the people. With the U.S. and the UN pushing for democracy, Kabila is now attempting to organize and constitution that will allow for elections in two years time. A further complicating factor is the international demand to address reports of war crimes before Zaire can be given any support from the International Monetary Fund. Concluding, Reed stated that between the legacy of government corruption, economic collapse and war, the government of the newly-formed Democratic Republic of the Congo faces serious challenges to democracy with little hope for a quick recovery without financial involvement by the United States.