Zaire

The Republic of Zaire, now called the democratic republic of the Congo. Its capital was Kinshasa.  The Republic of Congo was formed from the colonial country of Belgian Congo after gaining independence in 1960 (the former French colony chose the same name for its independent country so they were known by their respective capital cities - this one called Congo-Leopoldville and the French one - Congo Brazzaville) In 1964 It was renamed The Democratic Republic of the Congo and then again in 1971 to The Republic of Zaire. Following Independence the provinces of Katanga and South Kasai tried to secede which led to a bitter war. In 1997, after an armed invasion from forces of the Ugandan army and the Rwandan Hutu's overthrew the government and it reverted to The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Monetary Units:

1 Franc = 100 Centimes up to 1967
1 Zaire = 100 Makuta 1967-1993
1 Nouveaux Zaire = 100 Nouveaux Makuta = 3 million old Zaires 1993- 1998

The notes above are;

The 50 Nouveaux Zaire note from 1993 with Joseph Mobutu on the front and a hydroelectric dam on the reverse.

The 5 Nouveaux Zaire note from 1993 again with Mobutu on the front and The Independence monument on the reverse.