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The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 6

The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 6

Offensive against FDLR Thereafter, the military and the FIB instead focused on fighting the FDLR (and ADF-Nalu). Assessors pointed out that it would be difficult to defeat the FDLR with military means alone. It had long been emphasized that political and economic measures would also be required to force the Hutu militia to lay down its arms and return to Rwanda. In the spring of 2014, however, the FDLR said that the group would in future only operate with political means. This was received…

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The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 5

The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 5

 A divided country In the parliamentary elections, parties loyal to Kabila had gained a majority, but in the presidential election a second round of elections was required between Kabila and the former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba. Bemba played on xenophobic sentiments against Kabila and accused him of not being a “true Congolese”. Kabila clearly won in the decisive election round, but the result also showed how divided the country was. The president had strong support in the east, while few had voted…

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The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 4

The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 4

Short-term peace agreement In November 1998, a Ugandan-backed rebel movement, the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC), opened a new front against Kabila in the north. The following year, the RCD was split into two factions, one supported by Rwanda and one by Uganda. The rebel movements in the east built up their forces with incomes from gold, diamonds, coltan and tin. Later, there were fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan troops in Kisangani, probably over control of the diamond trade. After several unsuccessful attempts, the parties finally managed to…

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The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 3

The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 3

Africa’s First World War The genocide in Rwanda in 1994 contributed to the overthrow of dictator Mobutu after many years in power. But the new rulers were not interested in a real democratization of Congo-Kinshasa and in 1998 war broke out. More and more other countries were drawn into the conflict, sometimes referred to as “Africa’s First World War”. The conflict between Hutus and Tutsis Of crucial importance to the conflict in Congo-Kinshasa are the conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis, who are…

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The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 2

The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 2

Great UN effort After a ceasefire was concluded in August 1999, the UN sent a peacekeeping force, Monuc , to the country. It grew in a few years to 17,000 men, but still had difficulty creating calm. In 2010, it was transformed into Monusco, whose task is to try to stabilize the situation in the east. Both Monuc and Monusco have been criticized for not doing enough to protect the civilian population. In 2013, a new brigade was created within Monusco, FIB , which was given a…

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The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 1

The Congo-Kinshasa Conflict Part 1

The great war that broke out in Congo-Kinshasa in 1998 had devastating consequences. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives and the civilian population was subjected to horrific abuses. The war formally ended in 2003, but the struggle over who should control the country’s vast natural resources has continued and led to new violence, especially in the eastern parts of the country. The refugee flows that arose after the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 ignited the spark that triggered the war. But…

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