His assassin, Rachidi Kasereka, was one of his bodyguards. Kasereka was a member of the Banyamulenge ethnic group, which has its origins in Rwanda and Burundi, and had been recruited into the Congolese army during the First Congo War. Tensions between the Banyamulenge and other Congolese ethnic groups may have contributed to Kasereka's actions.
Test Your Knowledge: The Legacy of Laurent-Désiré Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo