The "Cuba of the West"?

The article talks about the French security policy towards the government of president Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the late 1970s. Topics discussed include an attack on the Shaba Province of Zaire in 1977 and 1978 by Katangan Gendarmes rebels, the provision of crucial military support by France to Mobutu, and why french policymakers assisted a former Belgian colony.