Depicts the denomination within a circle surrounded by the legend of the bank.

Depicts a formal portrait of Mobutu Sese Seko three-quarters left, wearing glasses, denomination in French above and date of issue below.

Mobutu Sese Seko, born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (1930–1997), was a Congolese politician and military officer who ruled as the only President of Zaire from 1971 to 1997. Initially serving as the 2nd President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1971, Mobutu came to power after leading a coup that ousted Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, with support from Belgium and the U.S. He later renamed the country Zaire and established an autocratic regime centered on his personality cult. Mobutu amassed immense wealth through corruption, while Zaire endured economic hardship, human rights abuses, and inflation. He received backing from Western countries, apartheid South Africa, Israel, and China due to his anti-communist stance. Despite his grip on power, Mobutu was ousted by rebel forces in 1997, and he died shortly after in exile.