Why was the Democratic Republic of the Congo renamed “Zaire"?

Mobutu Sese Seko renamed the country Zaire as part of a campaign to remove European colonial influences and promote an African identity. Independence from Belgium did not require a particular name change, and the renaming was not a popular vote or a reference to the dominant ethnic group. Therefore, the best answer is “The leader wanted to eliminate all European names in the nation.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.