CONGO DEVELOPMENTS XXXIII

January 10 2000 - April 2 2000

Sources a.o.: Le Soir, NCN, Africa News Online

January 10

- Kabila met some leaders of the non-armed opposition, a.o. religious leaders, but also Likulia Bolongo, the last prime minister under Mobutu. Tshisekedi and Olenghankoy refused to talk with Kabila.
- The leaders of the three rebel groups start a second series of talks in Kabale (Uganda) in order to arrive at unity.
- Near Beni in the region dominated by Uganda in the Nyaleke camp thousands of children are allegedly trained for the battle field. - Zimbabawe expects that in April half of its troops will be sent home.
January 17

- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan publishes a report, based on information of the liaison officers, with an concept for future operation of the blue-helmets in Congo.
- In the Equateur province fightings continue. Bemba says to have conquered Libada and Nkonya, the government forces claim to have reconquered Kwalungu and Gwalunce.
- The Joint Military Commission finished its fourth meeting in Lusaka. It concluded that the calendar for the peace process has to be adapted since the program of the Lusaka agreement is much behind schedule.
- In Maputo (Mozambique) last weekend there has been a meeting of the leaders of the SADC countries about the Congo conflict. Also Musevi and Bizimungu were present. It was observed that the peace proces lacked progress. The UN was asked to send a complete peace keeping force and to provide the necessary logistical tools. Kabila did not attend the meeting.
A joint venture of Congolese and Zimbabweans, Sengamines, has been formed for the exploitation of diamond near the Senga Senga river and in the environment of Mbuji Mayi.

January 19

-Kofi Annan recommandes to send 500 observers, protected by 5000 troops divided in 4 battailons, to be deployed in Mbandaka (NW- Congo), Kisangani (North), Mbuji Mayi (Central) and some other place in the South-east.

January 25

- At the UN assembly in New York African leaders critisized the hesitations of the UN with respect to the Congo conflict. Seven African heads of state are present, among them Kabila. They ask the UN to do more on the political, military and financial level.At this moment only 79 liaison officers are present in Congo. Kabila held a speech in which he denounced the agression of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi against his country.
- The UN assembly (24-28 January) decided to extend the UN- mission (MONUC) in Congo to 500 observers, protected by 5037 troops. They will be sent as soon as more peace has been established by the warring parties.

January 28

-Images of massacres among civilians in the Ituri region have been spread by an American Roman catholic misionary organisation (the Christoffel Blind Mission). In this region heavy fightings are taking place between Hema (traditional cattle owners, supported by Uganda) and Lendu (farmers). Reportedly already 7000 people have been killed and more then 150000 have become displaced.

January 29

- Returning from New York to Congo Kabila has made a stopover in Paris where he had a talk with the French minister of foreign affairs, Hubert Vedrine. At a next stopover he will speek with the Algerian president Bouteflika.
- There is mention of bombardements by the Kabila coalition in the North-west near Mobaribo.

February 1

- In Bukavu there are demonstrations against repression and Rwandese domination. Rwanda has closed the airport of Bukavu for the benefit of Kigali.
- Uganda has created a new province in East Congo: Kibale-Ituri with governor Agathe Lotsove of Hema origin.
- The rebels have conquered Shabunda in South-Kivu.

February 2

-Human Right Watch condemns the repression of the civil society in Kivu by the rebels.

February 5

-The Congolese leadership of 5 religions, catholic, protestant, islam, kimbangist and orthodox, releases a communication: "Here we stand".It rejects the occupation by the neighbor countries and asks the international community for solidarity and justice.

February 8

-Hundreds of people are demonstrating in Kisangani against the occupation of the city by Ugandan troops.
-The U.S. and the E.U. do not supply troops for MONUC. The UN troops will be composed therefore of Asian, African and South American troops. It is expected that this will give problems concerning the number of troops, the logistic etc.

February 9

-South African opposition leader Holomisa accuses his government of supporting the Congolese rebels with weapons and training.
-Premier Blair (UK) announces a stronger controll of the export of weapons to countries involved by the Congo war like the DRC, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, Rwanda and Uganda.

February 11

-The mediator for the internal Congolese conflict, Ketumile Masire, has met with Kabila to start his consultations.
Till now the Congolese government has autorized one political party, namely the UGC, Union de la Gauche, under the leadership of Delphin Banza.

February 12

-Bishop Kataliko of Bukavu has been arrested by RCD rebells at his return to Kivu. He was transported to Butembo and stays under house arrest. The rebels accuse Kataliko of stirring up to genocide of Tutsi. On February, 15, a catholic priest has been murdered by Banyamulenge soldiers: abbe Remi Pepe of Kiliba mission post.

-There exists pirate radio (Radio Patriote) in Kivu that calls on to expel the Ugandans, Rwandans and Burundians and all their nilotic and white allies.

February 14

-China is planning to hold a summit in Beijing this autumn about Chinese-African cooperation.
- In Goma is taking place a general strike of schools, shops and markets. The RCD has put road blokkades.

February 15

-American UN Ambassador, Richard Holbrooke, fears a new genocide in Congo and asks the US Congress financial support for the international observers in Congo.

-Kabila announces a transitional parlement, an 'Assemblee Constituante et Legislative', with the number of 300 elected or coopted members. Kabila asks support from international organisations to get representatives to the assemblee out of the occupied zones.
On February 20 Kabila will establish a Committee to prepare for the transitional parlement. The opposition does not agree.

February 17

-UN High Commissioner for the Human Rights, Mary Robinson, has asked to investigate the murder on 15 women in South Kivu. These women should have been buried alive in November last year by members of the RCD rebel movement. There are also other violations of human rights in eastern Congo, like rape and deliberate HIV contamination of Congolese women by Ugandan soldiers.

February 21

-US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has rejected the invasion in Congo of Ugandan and Rwandan troops. She reproaches the Clinton government to take to little action against the invaders.

February 24

-The UN Security Council accepts with the resolution 1291 the sending of 500 observers and 5037 military troops to the DRC. This UN mission will work together with the Joint Military Commission of the belligerants. The stationing of the mission (MONUC) may be ready in 120 or 150 days. The annual costs are $500 million. Bernard Miyet, chief of the UN peace operations, will visit the region in the beginning of March to prepare the arrival of MONUC.

The Heads of State of the involved countries have reaffirmed their support of the Lusaka accord .

February 29

-Congolese religious leaders are calling to peace and reconciliation. They have taken the initiative for a "consultation nationale" of one week for about 2000 participants of different civil organisations and from all provinces. Only the rebels and the majority of the political opposition do not participate.

March 3

-Kofi Annan appoints the Senegalese Mountage Diallo as commander of MONUC.
-Rebel leader Ondekane says that his troops are fighting against the government army at three fronts.
March 6

-It seems that Kabila does not agree with the intended locations for stationing of MONUC troops.In his view the position at the borders with Congo's neigbor countries, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundu, will be the best solution, but the UN has chosen 4 places within Congo: Mbuji Mayi, Kisangani, Mbandaka and Kindu.

March 9

-There should be fightings at 3 fronts: In northern Katanga (near Kongolo), East-Kasai and South-Kivu (near Lulengo). On March 7 the rebels have conquered Idumbe, a river harbour in West-Kasai some 750 km East of Kinshasa.

March 10

-Bernard Miyet, chief UN peace operations, reports that Kabila agrees with the stationing of the MONUC.

March 11

-The participants of the 'consultation nationale' have published a common declaration. It calls to more political freedom, forming of an elected parlement and of a broadly composed government under the leadership of a premier. They also want a revision of the Lusaka accord a.o. while it does not resolve the agression of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. This agression forms an obstacle to the national reconciliation and debate. It calls the armed opposition to lay down their weapons immediately and to disengage from their patrons. The international community is incited to condemn the agression of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and to station an intervention force at the borders.

March 12

-Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louis Michel, is visiting Kinshasa,as part of a tour that will bring him also to Angola, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Rwanda. After having talked to Kabila Michel declares the occupation of Congo inacceptable. The context for cooperation between Congo and Belgium has been improved, he says.

March 13

-Kabila has released 49 political prisoners, under which Mizele who, in 1997, tried to institute the 'kingdom of Bas-Congo'.

March 15

-RCD rebels have conquered in Kasai the city of Longakole in addition to Idumbe. They are progressing to Ilebo.
There are fightings also near Shabundu (South-Kivu) and in the mining zones Lulingu and Kachungu.
An UN investigating team has arrived in Mbuji Mayi to prepare the coming of the UN observers.

March 16

-The UN Humanitarian Commission reports the flight of more than 250 000 people last months in North and South Kivu following the intensified fightings between on the one hand rebels and Rwandans and on the other hand the local Congolese militias.

March 21

-UN rapporteur for the Human Rights in Congo, Roberto Garreton, has presented his special report. The situation of the human rights stays very bad, especially in the eastern Congo. (see also his report for the UN in New York, Nov.4 1999)

March 22

-Heavy fightings are taking place in Idumbe (West-Kasai), Kabinda (East-Kasai), launched by the RCD rebels and Rwanda, while the governement army have started an offensive near Kabalo and Kongolo (northern Katanga). The rebels have the intention to encircle the city of Kananga, capital of West-Kasai.
The UN announces that cancelling of MONUC will be possible if fightings continue.

March 23

-Rebel leader Wamba dia Wamba has begun to introduce his own valuta system with the help of the ex-president of the First International Bank of Grenada, Van Brink.
-The Congolese government has finished the embargo on foreign currency in commercial transactions.

March 24

-The inter-Congolese mediator, Masire, accuses Kabila of lack of cooperation. Kabila should have denied him the access to rebel regions.
- Kabila released more than hundred prisoners from the Bulowo prison according to the amnesty decree of February. Commander Nindaga Masasu, a former AFDL ally, is one of the released.

March 27

-Rwanda accuses Uganda to reinforce its camp in Kisangani with 2000 military troops.

March 28

-In a report of the European Commision the EU declares to be disappointed about the cease-fire violation in Congo. They range themselves on the side of Ketumile Masire and consider that Kabila must put away the obstacles for the internal dialogue. The conflict is nevertheless only solvable when coupled to an arrangement for the ethnic conflicts in the neighbor states, Rwanda and Burundi.

chronicle 9, september 29 -october 12 1997
chronicle 10, october 13 - october 26 1997
chronicle 11, october 27 - november 9, 1997
chronicle 12, november 10 -november 23 1997
chronicle 13, november 24 -december 7 1997
chronicle 14, december 8 1997 - january 4 1998
chronicle 15, january 5 - january 18 1998
chronicle 16, january 19 - february 1 1998
chronicle 17, february 2 - february 15 1998
chronicle 18, february 16 - march 1 1998
chronicle 19, march 2 - march 15 1998
chronicle 20, march 16 - march 29 1998
chronicle 21, march 30 - april 26 1998
chronicle 22, april 27 - mei 10 1998
chronicle 23, mei 11 - mei 31 1998
chronicle 24, juni 1 - august 26 1998
chronicle 25, august 27 - september 28 1998
chronicle 26,september 29- october 31 1998
chronicle 27, november 1- december 5 1998
chronicle 28, december 6 - january 24 1999
chronicle 29, january 25 - march 14 1999
chronicle 30, march 15 - may 9 1999
chronicle 31, may 10 - october 24 1999
chronicle 32, october 25 - january 9 1999