Gbadolite, also known as Gbado-Lite, is the capital city of the Nord-Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is situated approximately 1,150 kilometres northeast of the national capital, Kinshasa, and lies 12 kilometres south of the Ubangi River near the border with the Central African Republic.
The town served as the ancestral home and primary residence of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, who later took the name Mobutu Sese Seko. During his 32-year dictatorship, Mobutu implemented a modernization program in Gbadolite that resulted in the construction of an airport, colleges, malls, supermarkets, and libraries. The city is also historically significant as the site where Mobutu hosted the summit leading to the 1989 Gbadolite Declaration, a brief ceasefire during the Angolan Civil War.
Following the collapse of Zaire in 1997, Mobutu fled to Rabat, Morocco. After his departure, the palaces in Gbadolite were looted and vandalized by rebels led by Laurent Kabila, marking the end of Mobutu's era of rule over the region.