Are we heading to a ‘Third Congo War’?
With tensions sky rocking in the Republic of Congo as the fight between M23 rebels and the government of DRC and Rwanda continues to grow as many wonder if this is the coming back of Africa’s third world war, which is often described as the Great War of Africa or Congo War.
The tensions in Congo have always in the past involved their neighbors and other African Countries.
Little more than a year after the first African World War in August 1998, the second war began and the East part of Congo has been the battlefield.
Hostilities have been between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Kivu and Huru conflicts.
With almost nine African countries and around 25 armed groups became involved in the war. The first Congo War in 1996 started between Rwanda and Congo (Zaire).
This was after the Tutsi’s dominate RPF took over the power after the Rwanda genocide of 1994 and accused Hitu’s who had seemed shelter in Zaire for planning an invasion of Rwanda.
When it comes to Uganda, Rwanda and Angola, the Tutsi’s forces of Laurent-Desire Kabila faced off with Mobutu’s poorly trained army, Mobutu then was the leader of Zaire.
According to UN Human Rights report in 1996 more than 60 000 people were killed.
Robert Garreton stated that his investigation in the town of Goma turned up allegations of disappearance and killings .
In 1997 Kabila’s forces demanded that Kinshasa’s government to surrender and negotiations were made in April that same year, Etienne Tshisekedi became the new Prime Minister.
In 1977 after advancing the Khinshasa, Kabila in May proclaimed himself president, he then renamed the country DRC from Zaire.
His political allies, renamed in Congo despite being asked to leave.
The second world war began after a bodyguard had assassinated President Kabila in 2001 with at least nine countries had to be involved and fought each other in Congolese soil.
Several agreements had to be signed to assure a democratic (DRC) from the Transactional Government of the DRC in 2002-3. In 2008, DRC under Kabila Joseph joined forces with Kagame’s Rwanda to uproot the FDLR in South and North Kivu provinces who were fighting for dialogue within Rwanda. In 2009 the CNDP split between the two Rwanda and DRC.
The current conflicts in Congo, which some analysts believe few eyes are in the Congo crises as they are eyeing in Rwanda.
South Africa, African Union, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan and Burundi are already involved in the current conflict as some are in DRC as peace makers fighting against M23 rebels and other armed groupers such as FDLR, ADF a Uganda rebel group based in Rwenzori Mountains of Eastern Congo, The Lord’s Resistance Army (Uganda) is based on the Northern part of Congo.
In 2003 the UN recorded that more than 140 000 people flew from their homes as refugees. Currently it’s believed the number had tripled.
