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THE GREAT CONGO WAR EXPLAINED - Part 2
Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president admitted to supporting the rebel groups in order to secure his country. This was after Nelson Mandela the Zimbabwe president requested for peace talks to commence among all countries involved. In January 1999, a ceasefire agreement was made between Rwanda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Namibia during a summit held at Windhoek the capital of Namibia. However the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) was not invited and therefore they continued fighting.
During the same year on April 5, the RCD leader, Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, moved his base from Goma to Kisangani which was a Ugandan controlled area to lead a rebellious RCD group which was then called RCD-Kisangani. This group later identified as Forces of Renewal This led to increased levels of tensions in the group regarding the supremacy of Banyamulenge.
In addition to the agreement made in Windhoek, another agreement was made between Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Kabila on April 18 in Sirte, Libya which was mediated by Muammar al-Gaddafi. However, RCD and Rwanda refused to be part of the peace talks.
On May 16, in favour of Emile Llunga, Wamba the RCD leader was overthrown from his position of power. A week later the different factions of RCD disagreed over who would control Kisangani. They later met in June to plan a strategic attack against Kabila.
Despite the diplomatic efforts taken to stop the ongoing war, the Ituli conflict that resulted from the creation of the Ituri province in Uganda begun. This situation can best be described as a war within a war.
However, diplomatic efforts bore fruit because in July 1999, the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement was signed by the conflicting countries, that is, Uganda, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) followed suit and signed the agreement on August 1. RCD was reluctant but they later signed the agreement on August 31.
The terms of the agreement provided that a joint Military Commission be formed with forces from all participating groups and nations. The function of the commission was to track, demilitarize and document all armed organizations that resided in Congo, emphasis was to be put on the groups that were involved in the 1994 genocide attacks. In addition, the United Nations Security Council sent liaison agents to aid in the ceasefire agreement.
However, the groups involved in the agreement did not provide enough amenities towards this task and instead started accusing each other of going against the ceasefire. This was a sign that a war could be reignited at the smallest provocation from any of the participants.
In August, Uganda People’s Defense Force and the Rwandan Patriotic Army engaged at Kisangani and disagreed on the goals and tactics used during the war. This resulted in great tensions and after a few days, fighting commenced between the two groups. A ceasefire was called and the conflict lasted only 3 days but due to the weapons used, many casualties were recorded.
Later on in November, Kabila’s government broadcasted claims that the army had been rebuilt for the purpose of liberating the country. In reaction to this television broadcast, Rwandan rebel groups planned a massive counter-attack at Kinshasa but were eventually fought off.
On 24th February 2000, a total of 5537 troops, the United Nations Organization Mission in the DRC, had been authorized by the United Nations to overlook the progress of the ceasefire agreement. However, fighting was still reported between government forces and rebels, and Rwandan and Ugandan forces. The most intense fights happened at Kisangani between May and June 2000 among Ugandan and Rwandan forces.
On January 16, 2001, Kabila was shot and severely injured at the presidential palace located in Kinshasa. He was flown to Zimbabwe where attempts to save his life failed and he died two days later while in intensive care. To date, the events leading to his assassination are unclear but there are strong convictions that a young soldier, one of Kabila’s bodyguard, shot him.
Not long after the assassination, an explosive exposé article was published by the French newspaper, Le Monde, revealing documents with details of the plan to kill Kabila. Most of the plotters were the young soldiers who had been under Kabila’s command since his rule in 1996 and were angry at the poor treatment accorded to them. The day before Kabila’s assassination, it was reported that he had overseen the execution of more than 40 of the young soldiers who had been accused of plotting against him and his government.
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Published Nov 14, 2023
