2000s in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Congolese history in the 2000s has primarily revolved around the Second Congo War (1998–2003) and the empowerment of a transitional government.
2000 to 2003
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 the Global 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.[1]
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, the Gbadolite Agreement, on December 31, 2002. This obliged them to immediately stop all fighting in the Isiro-Bafwasende-Beni-Watsa quadrangle 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 from
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 eastern
In this period the International Rescue Committee reported 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 president Paul Kagame declared that Rwanda retained the option of sending troops into Congo to fight Hutu militants, in particular the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) that has not yet been disarmed as promised in the 2002 Pretoria Agreement. As of mid-December 2004 there were many reports that Rwandan forces had crossed the border. MONUC chief M'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 the North Kivu town 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]
The International Crisis Group released 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 in
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 the
On February 25, the resilience of the
On March 31 the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) stated that it was giving up the armed struggle and returning to Rwanda to form a political party. This announcement followed talks mediated by Sant'Egidio in Rome with 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 the Rwandan genocide would face justice.
In December 2005 UN and Congolese troops launched an operation in the Ituri district in order to restore peace and drive out the Ugandan-backed rebels.
2006
The constitution of the DRC was formally adopted on 19 February 2006 after it was approved in a popular referendum in December. A new national flag was adopted.[6]
With UN assistance, on July 30, 2006 free
2007
Tutsi-majority army brigades fought with the Hutu
See also
- Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Transitional National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
References
- ^ Fears over DR Congo campaigning, BBC News, 12 June 2006
- ^ a b "Rebel troops capture Bukavu and threaten third Congo war" Archived 2008-01-10 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent, June 3, 2004
- ^ "DRC: Interview with rebel general Laurent Nkunda", IRIN, September 2, 2006
- ^ "DRC: UN preliminary report rules out genocide in Bukavu" Archived September 9, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, IRIN, January 17, 2004
- ^ "DRC: Government troops seize rebel stronghold, general says" Archived March 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, IRIN, September 14, 2004
- ^ Arnaud Zajtman, New DR Congo constitution adopted, BBC News, 19 February 2006
- ^ U.N. finds half-buried corpses at Congo army camp SignOnSandiego
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 website Archived 2007-08-10 at the Wayback Machine
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Ripples of Genocide: Journey through Eastern Congo, testimonials from foreign visitors from 2002 and 2003