Editing Laurent-Désiré Kabila (section)

== Political activities ==
=== 1960s Congo Crisis ===
{{See also|Congo Crisis}}
Shortly after the Congo achieved independence in 1960, [[State of Katanga|Katanga seceded]] under the leadership of [[Moïse Tshombe]]. Kabila organised the [[Baluba]] in an anti-secessionist rebellion in [[Manono, Democratic Republic of the Congo|Manono]]. In September 1962 a new province, [[Tanganyika Province|North Katanga]], was established. He became a member of the provincial assembly{{sfn|Colvin|1968|p=169}} and served as chief of cabinet for Minister of Information Ferdinand Tumba.{{sfn|Dunn|2004|p=54}} In September 1963 he and other young members of the assembly were forced to resign, facing allegations of communist sympathies.{{sfn|Colvin|1968|p=169}}

Kabila established himself as a supporter of hard-line Lumumbist [[Prosper Mwamba Ilunga]]. When the Lumumbists formed the [[Conseil National de Libération]], he was sent to eastern Congo to help organize a revolution, in particular in the [[Kivu]] and North Katanga provinces. This revolution was part of the larger [[Simba rebellion]]s happening in the provinces at the time.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Congo : the epic history of a people|last=Van Reybrouck, David|others=Garrett, Sam|year=2014|isbn=9780007562916 |location=London|pages=322|oclc=875627937}}</ref> In 1965, Kabila set up a cross-border rebel operation from [[Kigoma]], Tanzania, across [[Lake Tanganyika]].{{sfn|Dunn|2004|p=54}}

=== Association with Che Guevara ===
Kabila met [[Che Guevara]] for the first time in late April 1965 where Guevara had appeared in the Congo with approximately 100 Cuban men who envisaged to bring about a Cuban-style revolution to overthrow the Congolese government. Guevara assisted Kabila and his rebel forces for a few months before Guevara judged Kabila (then age 26) as "not the man of the hour" he had alluded to, being too distracted and his men poorly trained and disciplined. This, in Guevara's opinion, accounted for Kabila showing up days late at times to provide supplies, aid, or backup to Guevara's men. Kabila preferred to spend most of his time at local bars or brothels instead of training his men or fighting the Congolese government forces. The lack of cooperation between Kabila and Guevara contributed to the suppression of the revolt in November that same year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mfi Hebdo |publisher=Rfi.fr |date=July 6, 2009 |url=http://www.rfi.fr/Fichiers/MFI/PolitiqueDiplomatie/2264.asp |access-date=May 2, 2010 |archive-date=16 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616061608/http://www1.rfi.fr/fichiers/MFI/PolitiqueDiplomatie/2264.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In Guevara's view, of all of the people he met during his campaign in Congo, only Kabila had "genuine qualities of a mass leader"; but Guevara castigated Kabila for a lack of "revolutionary seriousness"<!-- (cf page 244 Ernesto "Che" Guevara The African Dream - Publisher: Harvill Panther) -->. After the failure of the rebellion, Kabila turned to smuggling gold and timber on Lake Tanganyika. He also ran a bar and brothel in Kigoma, Tanzania.<ref>{{cite news|title=Laurent Kabila|newspaper=The Economist|url=http://www.economist.com/node/481974|access-date=May 25, 2016|archive-date=10 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610043948/http://www.economist.com/node/481974|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Meredith |first=Martin |title=The fate of Africa : from the hopes of freedom to the heart of despair : a history of fifty years of independence |date=2005 |publisher=Public Affairs |isbn=1-58648-246-7 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=150 |oclc=58791298}}</ref>

=== Marxist mini-state (1967–1988) ===
{{Main|Maquis of Fizi}}
In 1967, Kabila and his remnant of supporters moved their operation into the mountainous [[Fizi Territory|Fizi – Baraka]] area of [[South Kivu]] in the Congo, and founded the [[People's Revolution Party (Congo)|People's Revolutionary Party]] (PRP). With the support of the People's Republic of China, the PRP created a secessionist [[Marxism|Marxist]] state in [[South Kivu]] province, west of [[Lake Tanganyika]].<ref name="John C. Fredriksen 2003 pp 239"/>

The PRP state came to an end in 1988 and Kabila disappeared and was widely believed to be dead. While in [[Kampala]], Kabila reportedly met [[Yoweri Museveni]], the future [[president of Uganda]]. Museveni and former Tanzanian President [[Julius Nyerere]] later introduced Kabila to [[Paul Kagame]], who would become [[president of Rwanda]]. These personal contacts became vital in mid-1990s, when Uganda and Rwanda sought a Congolese face for their intervention in [[Zaire]].{{sfn|Dunn|2004|p=55}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rfi.fr/Fichiers/MFI/PolitiqueDiplomatie/2264.asp |title=Mfi Hebdo |publisher=Rfi.fr |date=July 6, 2009 |access-date=June 2, 2019 |archive-date=16 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616061608/http://www1.rfi.fr/fichiers/MFI/PolitiqueDiplomatie/2264.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>