Depicts a diamond-point engraving Eurasian hoopoe, its scientific name at the right of it, denomination below the animal, an official emblem of the Laurent Kabila regime: a mature male lion standing to the left amid the grass, symbolizing strength and authority, country’s name in French as semi-circle below.

Kabila’s regime, which began in 1997 after he overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko, was characterized by efforts to rebuild the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) after decades of dictatorship. His government sought to restore national sovereignty, but faced internal conflict and external pressures, particularly during the Second Congo War.

Reverse engraving.