2000s in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Congolese history in the 2000shas primarily revolved around theSecond Congo War(1998–2003) and the empowerment of atransitional government.

2000 to 2003

Main article:Second Congo War

Main article:2002 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Joseph Kabilabecame thehead of statein 2001 when his father, PresidentLaurent Kabila,was assassinated. In October 2002 Kabila negotiated the withdrawal ofRwandanforces occupying eastern Congo. Two months later, thePretoria Accordwas signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. The transitional period came to end with the completion of the2006 general electionand the swearing in of Kabila as President on December 6, 2006.

On December 17, 2002 the Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue, namely: the national government, the MLC, the RCD, the RCD-ML, the RCD-N, the domestic political opposition, representatives of civil society and the Mai Mai, signed theGlobal and All-Inclusive Agreement.The Agreement obliges the parties to a plan to reunify the country, disarm and integrate the warring parties and hold elections. There have been numerous problems, resulting in continued instability in much of the country and a delay in the scheduled national elections from June 2005 to March 2006, later pushed back again to 30 July 2006.

This agreement marked the formal end of the Second Congo War. Three rebel groups supported by Uganda, the MLC, RCD-N and RCD-ML, signed a ceasefire, theGbadolite Agreement,on December 31, 2002. This obliged them to immediately stop all fighting in theIsiro-Bafwasende-Beni-Watsaquadrangle and to accept United Nations military observers in the area. It also contained guarantees of the freedom of movement of the civilian population and humanitarian organizations from one area to another. This treaty was violated numerous times.

2003

A transitional government was set up in July 2003; Joseph Kabila remains as president and now has four vice presidents representing the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition.

Despite the formal end of hostilities the conflict continued. During January and February 2003, MONUC observed numerous hostile troop movements, mainly between Uganda, Rwanda and their respective proxies. On May 1, 2003 Uganda withdrew its regular forces fromBuniaandIturiin-line with theLuanda Agreement.Fighting erupted between theHemaandLenduethnic groups between 7 May and 16 May in Bunia.

On 30 June a transitional government composed of the various groups of the Inter Congolese Dialogue was formed. Over the course of September, a reinforced MONUC presence carried out the "Bunia, weapon-free zone" operation to demilitarize the province. They were partially successful, though a low-grade conflict continues to permeate the region.

In September 2004 between 20,000 and 150,000 people fled unrest in the easternKivuprovince caused by an advance of government troops against breakaway national army soldiers.[1]On October 1, 2004, the UN Security Council decided to deploy 5,900 more soldiers to theMONUCmission in Congo, although UN Secretary-GeneralKofi Annanhad asked for some 12,000.

In this period theInternational Rescue Committeereported that the conflict was killing 1,000 people a day, and called the international response "abysmal". Comparing the war with Iraq, it said that during 2004 Iraq received aid worth the equivalent of $138 per person, whilst the Congo received $3 per person.[2]

2004

In late November 2004 Rwandan presidentPaul Kagamedeclared that Rwanda retained the option of sending troops into Congo to fight Hutu militants, in particular theDemocratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda(FDLR) that has not yet been disarmed as promised in the 2002Pretoria Agreement.As of mid-December 2004 there were many reports that Rwandan forces had crossed the border. MONUC chiefM'Hand Djalouzi,commenting on the reports, said on December 1, "Infiltration is nothing new but this is something else, it has the appearance of an invasion." It remains unclear whether the Rwandan military is holding territory or carrying out temporary operations. The UN has promised to investigate.

On December 16, the BBC reported that 20,000 civilians had fled fighting in theNorth Kivutown of Kanyaboyonga, 100 miles north of Goma. Antigovernment forces led by a Captain Kabakuli Kennedy, who has stated that he is fighting to defend the Banyamulenge, has routed loyalist government forces and holds the town and the surrounding mountains. The government sent a mediation team to investigate and accused Rwanda of supporting another insurgency. Rwanda has denied any involvement in the fighting.[3]

TheInternational Crisis Groupreleased a report on 17 December warning that the Rwandan intervention threatened to roll back the progress made in years of peace talks. They further noted that the two recent wars both began in similar circumstances to that existing presently in the Kivus and that another regional war was entirely possible if diplomatic efforts were not made.[4]

Later in 2004, Nkunda's forces began clashing with the DRC army inSud-Kivuand by May 2004, occupiedBukavuwhere he was accused of committing war crimes.Nkunda claimed he was attempting to prevent genocide against Tutsis in the region,a claim rejected by MONUC,and denied the claim that he was following orders from Rwanda. Following UN negotiations which secured the withdrawal of Nkunda's troops from Bukuvu back to the Masisi forests, part of his army split, and led by ColonelJules Mutebutsileft for Rwanda.About 150,000Kinyarwanda-speaking people (Nkunda's own language) were reported to have fled from Sud-Kivu to Nord-Kivu in fear of reprisal attacks by DRC army.

2005

On January 25, 2005 the UN reported that Uganda and Rwanda were continuing to arm insurgent groups in eastern Congo, in violation of a United Nations arms embargo in the region. Both nations denied any wrongdoing, and theUPDFspokesman suggested thatMONUCwas useless and should be disbanded.[5]Archived2007-08-11 at theWayback MachineMeanwhile, a meeting of African leaders inAbujaagreed to send morepeacekeepersto the Congo and tasked with disarming the mainly Hutu rebel forces in an attempt to stem the escalating tensions. In response, a spokesman of theDemocratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwandastated on 2 February that the FDLR would resist with force any attempt to disarm it.[6]Archived2007-09-27 at theWayback MachineThe same dayUS Secretary of StateCondoleezza Ricewelcomed senior officials from the DRC, Uganda and Rwanda toWashington, DCfor talks aimed at easing tensions in the region.

Ituri(highlighted)is just north ofNord-Kivu

On February 25, the resilience of theIturi conflictwas demonstrated when nineBangladeshiMONUC peacekeepers were ambushed and killed by unidentified gunmen while patrolling aninternally displaced personscamp in Kafe inIturiProvince. This was the largest single loss of peacekeeper life since the 1994Rwandan genocide.Floribert Ndjabu,the leader of theNationalist and Integrationist Front(FNI) militia operating in northeastern Ituri was arrested, while three other militia leaders were questioned.MONUCforces assaulted an FNI stronghold and killed fifty militia members, in what theSecretary-Generalreferred to as "self-defense."

On March 31 theDemocratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda(FDLR) stated that it was giving up the armed struggle and returning to Rwanda to form apolitical party.This announcement followed talks mediated bySant'EgidioinRomewith Congolese government representatives. If carried out by the various FDLR commanders, a return would remove one of the major sources of tensions in the region. The Rwandan government stated that any returnee who participated in theRwandan genocidewould face justice.

In December 2005 UN and Congolese troops launched anoperationin the Ituri district in order to restore peace and drive out the Ugandan-backed rebels.

2006

Main article:2006 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The constitution of the DRC was formally adopted on 19 February 2006 after it was approved in a popular referendum in December. A newnational flagwas adopted.

With UN assistance, on July 30, 2006 freefirst multi-party electionswere held since independence in 1960. After thisJoseph Kabilatook 45% of the votes and his opponent Jean-Pierre Bemba took 20%. That was the origin of a fight between the two parts from August 20–22, 2006 in the streets of the capital,Kinshasa.Sixteen people died before policemen and UN mission MONUC took control of the city. A run-off election was held on 29 October 2006. On November 11, with 65% of the votes counted and Kabila holding the lead with 61% to Bemba's 39%, and with some of Bemba's supporters claiming election fraud, fighting again broke out in the streets of Kinshasa between soldiers supporting each candidate, killing two civilians.

2007

Main article:2007 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tutsi-majority army brigades fought with the HutuDemocratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda(FDLR) throughout 2007. More than 165,000 people fled the fighting. TheUnited Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congoand human rights activists accused the army of targeting civilian centers sympathetic to the FDLR. The Bravo Brigade allegedly murdered 15 civilians in Buramba village in March. General Gabriel Amisi temporarily halted operations against the FDLR in August, saying operations would resume when ethnically mixed brigades would replace the current Tutsi-majority forces.

See also

• Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Transitional National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

External links

• International Center for Transitional Justice, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Global and Inclusive Agreement on Transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,signed in Pretoria, South Africa on 16 December 2002
• CIA World Factbook
• MONUC websiteArchived2007-08-10 at theWayback Machine
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Ripples of Genocide: Journey through Eastern Congo,testimonials from foreign visitors from 2002 and 2003