Sources: AllAfrica, AfroInfodoc, Le Soir, De Standaard
July 16 2001
-Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute told the US House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Africa that a serious mission in Congo could easily require 100 000 troops.
-Some 30 % of the population of the eastern Maniema province is still hiding out in the forests after fleeing fighting and insecurity, according to Christian Aid. This organisation witnessed "the pathetic sight of men, women and children dressed in rags and most barefooted" as well as destroyed buildings in Maniema province.
17 July 2001
-General Njuki Mwaniki, the Kenyan president of the Joint Military Commission, urged the Congolese government to withdraw troops stationed behind rebel lines in violation with the peace accord. It concerns the towns of Rutuku, Mulembwe etc. in northern Katanga.
-In a letter to the UN Secretary-General the Congolese government has accused Rwanda and its rebel ally, the RCD, of openly proclaiming its desire to create a secessionist state in eastern Congo.
July 20 2001
-The Congolese government has urged the UN Security Council to act against Rwanda and Uganda for failing to withdraw troops in line with the peace accord. The government notes with an alarm a reinforcement of Rwandan military positions around the city of Kisangani.
-The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC, Kemal Morjane, estimates "fragile" the situation in the DRC despite a ceasefire of six month. In the east is still fighting between the Rwandan forces and the RCD on the one side and armed groups on the other.
-In a notice, the IMF stresses that achieving the DRC reconstruction program calls for strong fiscal adjustment, tight monetary policy and well-sequenced structural and sectorial reforms. Successful implementation will depend on strengthening of administrative capacity for which the DRC will need international support, including technical assistance. The IMF commends the authorities for the measures taken to date. These include the adoption of a floating exchange rate regime, the introduction of a monthly treasury cash flow plan, and coordination of the government actions through the interministerial committee.
-The European commissioner for Development, Poul Nielsen, has stressed the need for leaders in the DRC to reunite the country. Nielsen indicated that the EU fund for the DRC ($100 million) would be conditional on progress with an inter-Congolese dialogue.
21 July 2001
-The Ugandan judicial commission into inquiry of the report of UN experts about the plundering of Congolese resources has started its investigations in Kampala. Key witnesses include president Museveni, former minister of defence Kavuma, army chief of staff Kazini etc.
-Roberto Garreton, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the DRC, is currently visiting Congo until August 2.
-The FLC (Congolese Liberation Front) led by Bemba and composed by the MLC en the RCD-ML is threatened by a total disintegration. Bemba accused the RCD-leader Mbusa of fuelling clashes near Beni between his troops and the MLC in the month of June. Mbusa says that the merger of the two movements is become useless.
July 24 2001
-The Congolese franc strengthened considerably against the US dollar last week, moving rapidly from the level at with it had steadied, after being floated in late May from a rigid and inflated exchange rate system. The CF surged now to 221,8 $. Finance Minister Matungulu notes that the government had run a budget surplus for the past two month instead of a deficit.
July 25 2001
-African Wildlife Foundation has received word from the IGCP (International Gorilla Conservation Program) that another endangered mountain gorilla has lost his life, caught in the crossfire in the Virungas.
31 July 2001
-A group of the Mayi-Mayi in northeastern Congo, calling itself the Lumumbist National Resistance, released one Kenyan and 16 Thai hostages. who had been held captive for more than two months. The Mayi-Mayi did so because for them the most important thing was to show the world that there is looting going on in Congo. The Thais worked for the Thai-Ugandan Dara Forest logging company that is plundering wood from the Congo.
-According to MONUC the cease-fire and the disengagement agreement between the parties is continuing to hold. In Kisangani, MONUC is engaged in efforts to persuade the RCD-Goma to withdraw its military forces from the city. Meanwhile, MONUC continues to investigate all reports of cease-fire violations, except in areas where security considerations preclude unarmed observer from entering.
August 1 2001
-A quadripartite commission consisting of representatives from the Congolese government, the MLC and the MONUC will soon meet to discuss practical ways of resuming commercial traffic on the river Congo.
-Along with the barge of the World Food Program, the peace barge "Boboto" left Kinshasa carrying 650mt of humanitarian supplies bound for Mogalo in Equateur. The distribution of goods to local populations will be coordinated by the 'Centre de developpement integre' in Bwamanda.
-WFP also noted that confrontations among armed groups in South Kivu and northern Katanga continue to force populations to flee. Nevertheless, in Bukavu, WFP provided assistance to 283 refugees repatriated to Rwanda in the mid of July.
August 2 2001
-The World Bank has approved $ 50 million grant for economic recovery in the DRC and has defined a strategy for WB assistance there, the so-called Emergency Early Recovery Project.
-The Congolese government denounced the decision of the Rwandan-backed RCD to establish a federal government in the territory that it controls. Minister of Communication, Kikaya bin Karubi, called the decision another attempt by the aggressors to torpedo the peace process and to compromise the change of a rapid holding of the inter-Congolese dialogue.
-The Rwandan-backed RCD-Goma claims to have seized the town of Lokanda from DRC government-backed forces after two days of intense fighting. Lokanda lies on the Lualaba River, a tributary of the Congo River.
-Oxfam GB, Save the Children and Christian Aid published a report about the catastrophic situation in Congo: 2 million people have been displaced, 16 million are lacking the necessary food.
-Uganda says to stay in Congo with a military force in the town of Beni, Buta and Rwenzori mountains as a "presence symbolique".
August 4 2001
-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed a Cameroonian diplomat, Amos Namanga Ngongi, as his special representative for the DRC. He will succeed Kemal Morjane, who will finish his functions at the end of this month.
August 15 2001
-The Rwandan government has created an office that will collect all customs and other taxes in Kivu on behalf of the Rwandan government in Kigali. For that purpose it appointed two Rwandan officials as administrators in Goma and in Bukavu.
August 18 2001
-The Congolese peace process begins a new stage with the preparatory meeting of the Inter-Congolese dialogue that will take place in Gabarone (Botswana) from 20 - 24 August. Participants of this meeting will be: the Congolese government, rebel groups, non-armed opposition and the civil society. The aim of the meeting is to fix a date and a place for the coming dialogue, which will decide about the elections, a new constitution and the integration of rebel forces in a national Congolese army.
August 24 2001
-The preparatory meeting of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue has issued a final declaration that sounds hopefully because of the clear consent of all the parties to reunite the country. But there remains some uncertainty: There have been shifts of allegiance in the rebel-held east of the country, while the Mayi-Mayi and also sections of the civilian opposition in exile have responded angrily about their lack of presentation.
August 30 2001
-Namibian Defence Minister, Nghimtina, says that the withdrawal of Namibian soldiers from the DRC is proceeding smoothly.
-Additional efforts to assist some thousand street children in the DRC capital of Kinshasa were launched by a consortium of government authorities, ngo's and UN agencies. This operation, called 'Operation Kanga Vagabonds' has already placed hundreds of children in centres throughout the city, where they receive food, medical care and education.
-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will visit the Congo from 1-3 September to reinforce the peace process and to investigate if a greater number of UN soldiers might be necessary. At the moment the MONUC consist of 2200 troops, while 300 are unarmed observers.
-South African Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin announces that South Africa and the DRC have agreed to set up a joint structure aimed at cooperation and development of the two country's economies. The agreement was reached previously between President Mbeki and DRC President Kabila in Pretoria.
-The Banyamulenge, Congolese Tutsi of eastern Congo allied to the Rwandan-backed RCD, have issued a list of conditions in a document titled: "Manifeste banymulenge du 1er Aout 2001 pour le paix au Kivu". They stress that there must come an end to the ethnic cleansing, that they are Congolese of origin since their presence in Congo dates before 1885 and they call for the creation of an international tribunal to investigate en judge the crimes, massacres etc. against Banyamulenge since 1996.
September 3 2001
-It has been confirmed that the meeting of the Inter-Congolese dialogue is scheduled for next month, October 15, in Addis Abeba (Ethiopia). The Congolese government has authorized spending $1,5 million for the envisaged meeting. It has asked the UN to support the meeting by providing financial and material support.
September 5 2001
-WFP reported that the improving security conditions in South Kivu had enabled humanitarian agencies to access returnees in Kalonge and Kasika. WFP is planning to assist them to prepare the next farming season with the distribution of a seeds protection package.
-Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagame have meet together on August 31 in Durban (South Africa) during the anti-racism conference. Kagame accuses Kabila to support the Interahamwe militia.
September 7 2001
-An actual study by Jules Devos, secretary of the Reseau Europeen pour le Congo, published in July, makes clear that the number of Hutu rebels in Congo fighting the Rwandan government is very small and can be estimated some thousand men troops. Many Hutu in Congo are disoriented and they did not receive weapons for a year. It is also reported that Rwanda has sent "false Interhamwe" to sustain the argument of Kigali of insecurity. In reality Rwanda doesn't want to leave the Congo because of it gains much money with their illegal plundering of Congolese riches.
-The fall of the coltan prices is forcing the rebels in eastern Congo to seek alternatives means of getting revenues. One obvious target is the international humanitarian community, which has now to pay high taxes to the rebel movement.
-The Congolese peace process received a new boost at the weekend when the Congolese government announced that is was holding 3000 Rwandan militia fighters at two bases in Kitona and Kamina, in Katanga province. Alexis Nshimyimana, a commander of these troops, that it had given up fighting as a goodwill gesture to the Rwandan government and wanted a Inter-Rwandan dialogue before going home.
September 8 2001
-President Kabila and President Sassou-Nguesso (Congo-Brazzaville) have confirmed that they will attend the third biennial US-Africa Business Summit to take place in Philadelphia from 16 - 20 September under the auspices of the Corporate Council on Africa. (N.b. this meeting was cancelled because of the attack of the Twin Towers etc.)
September 11 2001
-There are strong possibilities that Uganda and Rwanda have used mines according to the report of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Both countries have denied using mines and they are signatories of the treaty against landmines.
-Leaders of the RCD-ML held a special meeting in the northeastern town of Beni and resolved to hold peace talks with the Mayi-Mayi in order to incorporate this movement in their own rebel movement.
-Members of the International Crisis Group reported that Ugandan troops supporting the MLC of Bemba are lingering to leave the Congo and actually they are redeploying themselves.
September 12 2001
-Francis Shyaka, president of Shikama-Kivu Peace Initiative, a Banyamulenge organisation, says that the Inter-Congolese dialogue started from the wrong footing. As long as the question of the status of the Banyamulenge and other minorities is not even on the agenda there will never be peace in the countries of the Great Lakes.
September 13 2001
-The Rwandan army has invaded in Bukavu and killed one person at clashes between the army and Congolese citizens. The invasion took place at the moment that Congolese employees were holding a manifestation protesting against the lack of salaries since three years.
-The military court at Likasi condemned 8 persons to dead because of their complicity by the murder on Laurent Kabila. Three were condemned to 15 years of prison, 13 to 10 years of prison an 8 to 8 years. Forty people were released. Special UN Rapporteur for the Human Rights in the DRC, Garreton rejected the verdict arguing that the process was not fair.
-The Congolese government detected an enormous fraud in the circles of the officials. More than 20 000 employees on the salary list did not exist and were so-called "false officials".
-The rebels of RCD-Goma have set up the beginning of a federal Kivu and Maniema. Therefore, they appointed the representatives of a Provincial Assemblee. The civil society rejects this move of the rebel leaders while it fears the secession of Kivu from the rest of Congo.
September 14 2001
-Christian Aid, Oxfam GB and Save the Children have launched a new report which chronicles the suffering by the Congolese people: more than a million people have not received humanitarian assistance and 400 000 children have been forced to flee their homes. The DRC is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and the international community is simply not doing enough to help.
September 20 2001
-The Governor of South Kivu, Katintima, has announced that the inter-Kivu dialogue would take place between 22 and 25 September in Bukavu. This dialogue is an initiative of the Rwandan-backed RCD-Goma, and the civil society has threatened to boycott the event.
21 September 2001
-Mayi-Mayi in South-Kivu issued a document declaring their engagement with the Kinshasa government and rejecting the foreign occupation. The 'hinterland' of the cities of South and North Kivu is in the hands of Mayi-Mayi. As long as the Mayi-Mayi is excluded from the Inter-Congolese dialogue there will be no peace in Kivu.
-Rwanda has reinforced his troops around Goma. The Congolese population there is much harassed by all sort of armed groups.
September 26 2001
-Kabila and Kagame have a meeting with each other in Blantyre (Malawi) in the presence of the President of Malawi, Muluzi. About the result of their talks, nothing is said.
-The preparations of the Inter-Congolese dialogue that will be held October 15 in Addis Abeba meet with some obstacles, notably on the financing of the meeting. There are also problems with the representation of the RCD-ML (Wamba or Mbusa?), the Mayi-Mayi (Who is not invited).
-According to RCD-Goma Burundian and Rwandan Hutu have conquered the place of Fizi southern of Bukavu.
-The Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) has agreed to disarm 3000 of its freedom fighters in the southeastern of Katanga. The FDLR , under commandment of Alexis Nshimyimana, is not to be associated with the Interahamwe and former Rwandan army Hutu of ex-FAR.
September 28 2001
-Human Rights Groups like "Federation Internationale des Droits de l'Homme" and Amnesty International are much concerned about series of arrests executed by RcD in Kivu. Several army officers, members of the civil society and human rights groups have been arrested last time.
-Around the city of Kindu clashes have taken place between some armed groups (RcD-rebels and Mayi-Mayi?). The RcD claims Kindu to have reconquered, October 1.
October 1 2001
-In a report UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was encouraged by the transparency and liberalisation at political and economic levels advocated by Kinshasa. But he warned that the country lacked funding due to the wait-and-see attitude by most donors and other sources of financing.
October 2 2001
-The Mayi-Mayi denounces the reinforcement since a week of the Rwandan and Burundian armies by 15 000 troops in the region around Fizi supported by helicopters and tanks. They are fighting the Mayi-Mayi and other self-defence groups (FAP) of the Congolese population under the leadership of commander Dunia. There is no question of presence of Interahamwe, ex-Far pr Burundian FDD-rebels in the region. So it is clear that the Rwandan army only wants to extend his territory.
October 3 2001
-President Kabila has met with Obasanjo, President of Nigeria, in the Nigerian capital Abuja for talks about the groundwork of peace negotiations. The rebel leaders, Onusumba (RCD-Goma) and Bemba (MLC), who were also invited, failed to show up for the meeting.
-The Joint Political Commission monitoring the DRC ceasefire is expected to meet to finalise plans for the final withdrawal of foreign troops and the disarmament of the armed groups. The Angolan minister of defence, Paihama, stated that his army is already preparing to leave the DRC.
-The latest report of Garreton, UN rapporteur for the Human Rights in Congo, demands all parties in the conflict to cooperate with MONUC and to inform about armed groups in eastern Congo. Foreign troops must leave the Congo in agreement with UN Security Council resolutions, the city of Kisangani should be demilitarised and the looting of Congolese riches must stop.
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 2000
chronicle 33, january 10 - april 2 2000
chronicle 34, april 3 - june 25 2000
chronicle 35, june 26 - august 27 2000
chronicle 36, august 28 - october 29 2000
chronicle 37, october 30 - january 14 2001
chronicle 38, january 15 - march 18 2001
chronicle 39, march 19 - may 20 2001
chronicle 40, may 21 - july 15 2001