sources: AllAfrica, Misna, Digital Congo, MONUC
May 23, 2005
- The company "Kolwezi Tailling" will invest 11 billion USD untill 2010 to exploit copper and cobalt near Kolwezi, Tim Read, the president of Adastra Minerals, said on Tuesday 17 Mai at a press conference. There will be financial support of World Bank.
May 24, 2005
- A delegation of IMF is in Kinshasa for the evaluation of the economic program of the Congolese government (PEG).
May 25, 2005
- A massacre of civilians have been reported in South Kivu. The killing occurred on Monday night in the locality of Ninja, about 80 km north of Bukavu. 18 people have been killed and 11 wounded. The identity of the assailants remains uncertain. Some finger a local militia group dubbed "Rasta", while acting governor Didas Kaningini accuses the FDLR.
May 26, 2005
- In South Katanga near Sakania at the border with Zambia important new layers of copper and cobalt have been discovered by Comisa, a daughter of First Quantum Mineral in London.
- Reportedly, secret talks are taking place between RCD-dissidents and Rwandan military leaders.. There intention would be to form new militia for agression against Congo. RCD-dissidents try to prevent the 'brassage' of the Congolese army in North Kivu.
June 1, 2005
- Democratic elections in Congo will be delayed well beyond the original end of June deadline, with voter registration ready in October at the earliest. "The drop dead date for elections has to be June 30, 2006. There is no plan B", Ross Mountain, the UN's chief coordinator for the DRC said in Stockholm.
- The UN operation in Congo needs more troops and police officers to prepare for elections, UN-S.G. Kofi Annan said. The needed reinforcements would raise the UN troop ceiling in the DRC to 19,290 from 16,700, and bring the intenational police force to 391 from the current 175.
June 2, 2005
- Human Rights Watch has published a report, "The Curse of Gold", about the competition for gold in north-eastern DRC. Fron 2002 until 2004, about two thousand civilians were killed and tens of thousands displaced in the battle for one of the most important mining areas, Mongbwalu. HRW accuses AngloGold Ashanti, a leading producer of gold, of having provided financial and logistical support to FNI, a militia group responsible for atrocities in the region..
June 3, 2005
- The latest brigade (3,240 soldiers) in the newly integrated army completed training at a camp in Kamina and is expected to deploy to the province of South Kivu, where two Rwandan Hutu rebel groups, FDLR en the Rasta, are allegedly committing atrocities against the local population.
June 7, 2005
- Secret discussions in North Kivu have resulted in establishment of two political-military organisations: Forum of Panafricanists fot Justice and Peace, and National Synergy for Peace and Concord. The Congolese generals Munyakazi and Smith would start the formation of troops for a third Congolese war. The Civil Society of North Kivu asks for the dismissal of governor Serufuli.
June 8, 2005
- The Australian company Anvil has admitted that it has been invoved in the crushing of an uprising last year in Kilwan (Katanga), a town at 50 km from the Dikulushi mine, owned by Anvil. About 100 people have allegedly been killed.
June 9, 2005
- According ot the UN, Congolese army troops and militia alike are responsible for displacements of population in South Kivu in the recent weeks. 6,000 people were forced to flee their villages in the region of Bukavu after the massacre of 19 civilians at the end of May.
June 15, 2005
- The Congolese parliament has adopted the referendum law.
June 16, 2005
- Several members of the UN are concerned that armed groups in the East of Congo will menace security during the elections. One is also worried about North and Central Katanga where in large parts government authority is absent.
- At a press conference in Kinshasa abbe Malu-Malu, president of the CEI, has explained why elections cannot be held on or before 30 June. A letter about this subject has been sent to the Parliament on 28 April. The whole process has to be prolonged by a half year, in conformity with art. 196 of the transitional constitution.
June 21, 2005
- Monday, 20 June, was the first day of voter registration in Kinshasa. The operation in the whole country is expected to take 3 months.
June 23, 2005
- The UDPS, the largest opposition party, appeals to its members to boycott the elections and not to participate to the voter registration.
June 24, 2005
- The EU special representative to Africa's Great Lakes Region, Aldo Ayello, said of Friday the Union might support military action against Rwandan Hutu rebels in eastern DRC if they refuse to disarm and return home. He said that 6 Congolese brigades would be deployed to eastern Congo to root out the FDLR, a move that the European bloc would support logistically.
June 28, 2005
- The president of the European Commission, Jose Barosso, paid a visit to Kinshasa. He asked the population to keep calm in view of the date of 30 June. The EU supports the transition proces and rejects its prologation to after 30 June 2006.
June 29, 2005
- President Joseph Kabila told diplomats that he had ordered his army to begin disarming immediately thousands of foreign rebels in the east of his country.
- Economic life in Mbuji-Mayi has been disrupted since 27 June due to a "dead town" strike called by the UDPS. The stike is against the Parliament's decision to extend until December the political transition originally scheduled to come to an end on 30 June.
June 30, 2005
- At least seven protestors were killed and hundreds more arrested in demonstrations in various suburbs of Kinshasa and in urban areas. The protests are against a delay in national elections. In Tshikapa in Kasai Occidental, six demonstrators were killed. In Mbuji-Mayi in Kasai Oriental at least 5 people were killed.
- Global Winess has published a report about the loot of cassiterite in eastern Congo. Most of it is exported via Rwanda. This country export five times as much of cassiterite as it produces. Byers are to be found in South Africa and Europe.
July 5, 2005
- MONUC has launched a vast military operation in South Kivu, named "Falcon Sweep". About 400 peacekeepers and Congolese soldiers are mobilized to secure the territories of Walungu and Kabare.
- The Hague based International Court of Justice opened a week of hearings in the DRC's case against Rwanda. DRC accuses Rwanda of having committed large-scale atrocities on its territories after an armed agression starting in 1998.
- Amnesty International asks the UN to reinforce the arms embargo in the Great Lakes region. Large quantities of arms and ammunition from the Balkans and Eastern Europe continue to flow into the region.
July 12, 2005
- Authorities in the DRC have accused the Uganda government of harbouring and training dissidents planning to attack its eastern territory of Aru. The BBC in Kampala has seen a document announcing the formation of the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (MRC)
- There has been fighting between the 12th brigade of the Congolese army, led by col. Mayanga, and local militia in the Rutshuru territory (North Kivu) , especially in the villages Nyamirima, Nyakakoma and Ishasha.
July 14, 2005
- The US State Department condemned the massacre of Congolese civilians in the village of Ntulu-Mamba in South Kivu and called for those responsible for these acts to be brought to justice. In Ntulu-Mamba, a place in South Kivu at 40 km west of Bukavu, 39 civilians have been burnt alive by Rwandan rebels The FDLR denies responsibility and accuses the Rasta's.
July 15, 2005
- MONUC claims to have destroyed six camps of the FDLR in South Kivu in the territory of Kabare.
July 16, 2005
- The EU plans to create a organ in order to control certain financial transactions of the Congolese government. It concerns especially the mensual payment of members of the army and national police.
July 21, 2005
- MONUC announces to have expelled the FDLR from the Walungu and Kabare territories. It plans a new operation in South Kivu, named "Thunderstorm", with 850 troops and the use of helicopters.
- In Lusaka, Zambia, a preparatory conference for the International Great Lakes Conference is being held. The Congolese proposal for a mechanism of certification for the trade of natural resources, as coltan, wood, coffee, tea, was rejected by Rwanda and the Republic of Congo.
July 25, 2005
- "Thirteen villagers and seven Rwandan rebels were killed" , governor Kaningini of South Kivu has said. This happended in the village of Kigalama. Most of the 5000 people who normally lived in Kigalama have now fled. [Investigations by MONUC on 10 august have shown no traces of a massacre.]
July 27, 2005
- IMF asks for an investigation into the contributions of mining companies (Miba, Segamines, ..) to the state budget. This should be done by an independent institute. The impression is that large amounts leave the country in a fraudulous way.
July 28, 2005
- The UN Security Council issued a report by the UN's group of experts on the DRC. It states that Rwanda and Uganda had delayed to give information to officials monitoring arms sanctions in the DRC. The main concern of the report is that "weak border controls allow for lucrative alliances between leaders of armed groups and unscrupulous businessmen."
- The vice-president of the collective of associations in Kivu-Maniema, F. Kayembe, says that between 11 and 13 July three trucks with Rwandan soldiers have entered the territory of Rutshuru. Col. Mayanga from the FARDC, who collaborates with Kagame, is fighting against Mai-Mai troops, led by commander Jackson.
July 30, 2005
- The UN Council renewed the arms embargo on eastern Congo.. A resolution adopted unanimously, condamned the continuing flow of illicit weapons into the volatile east and declared its determination to punish embargo violators.
July 31, 2005
- The human rights activist Pascal Kabungulu Kibembi has been assassinanted in his home in Bukavu. Kabungulu was Secretary General of 'Heritiers de la Justice' and vice-president of LDGL. International human rights organisations ask thorough and independent investigations; they say that threats against human rights defenders in eastern Congo have been on the rise.
August 2, 2005
- MONUC is worried by human rights violations committed by the Congolese army in South Kivu as it expelled the FDLR from the territories of Luhwindja and Buhrinyi. It hopes that the situation will ameliorate after the arrival of the new commander of the 10th region, general Matthieu Agolowa.
August 5, 2005
- Direction of the public enterprises and state companies has been distributed among the political groups and parties that participate in the national government. Human rights activists fear a new round of self-enrichment by 'dynosaures' of the political elite. They ask the CIAT and EU to establish a system of public control on public enterprises.
August 6, 2005
- Three European experts have arrived in Kinshasa to create together with their Congolese colleagues a mechanism for the payment of salaries in the army.
August 9, 2005
- A ' brassage'-center has been opened in Luberizi in South Kivu.
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
chronicle 41, july 16 - october 8 2001
chronicle 42, october 9 - december 15 2001
chronicle 43, december 16 2001 - march 3 2002
chronicle 44, march 4 2002 - may 26 2002
chronicle 45, may 27 2002 - september 8 2002
chronicle 46, september 9 2002 - december 9 2002
chronicle 47, december 10 2002 - march 2 2003
chronicle 48, march 3 2003 - may 25 2003
chronicle 49, may 26 2003 - august 10 2003
chronicle 50, 11 august 2003 - 15 december 2003
chronicle 51, 16 december 2003 - 13 march 2004
chronicle 52, 14 maart 2004 - 20 juni 2004
chronicle 53, 21 juni 2004 - 3 october 2004
chronicle 54, 4 october 2004 - 19 december 2004
chronicle 55, 20 december 2004 - 27 february 2005
chronicle 56, 28 february 2005 - 22 may 2005