Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly
Zaire)
March 15,
2008: The UN admits that 6,000 Rwandan Hutu gunmen are responsible for the
violence that has kept the provinces of North and South Kivu a mess. The Hutus
are largely those who tried to kill all Rwandan Tutsi in 1994. When that failed,
despite killing nearly a million people, hundreds of thousands of Hutu, fearing
retribution, fled to Congo. Many of these Hutu were armed, organized into the Interahamwe
militia, and they planned to wage a guerilla war with the new, Tutsi dominated
government in Rwanda. But the Rwandan Tutsis invaded Congo to destroy the Tutsi
rebels, and this triggered a revolution in Congo ten years ago. After over a
decade of fighting, many of the Hutu rebels have been killed, or returned to
Rwanda to face justice. But 6,000 Hutu gunmen survive, and refuse to surrender.
The UN has told these Hutu that surrender and disarmament is the only option. The
Hutu are the hardcore, and most refuse. Many of the fighters are organized into
the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) are willing to
negotiate. But in the past, FDLR offers to negotiate have gone nowhere. Until
these Hutu holdouts are taken down, there will be no peace in eastern Congo.
March 14,
2008: The International Criminal Court
(ICC) continues to investigate charges of
murder, rape, and looting in eastern Congo. The ICC has been conducting "town
meetings" in North Kivu province (eastern Congo) and in Equateur province
(northeastern Congo). Equatuer's Ituria region was the scene of some of the
worst ethnic fighting during the Great Congo War.
March 10,
2008: The UN reported that the Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) is trying to gain control
of Bas-Congo province (western Congo). Most of the UN's peacekeeping efforts
have either centered on the capital, Kinshasha, or have focused on eastern
Congo (eg North and South Kivu provinces). In January the UN beefed up its
peacekeeping contingent in Bas-Congo, but it was a relatively small increase
(140 soldiers). The UN began sending more reinforcements to Bas-Congo on March
3. The BDK is a strange outfit even for Congo. The BDK draws its strength from
the Kongo ethnic group. It says its ultimate goal is to re-create a
"pre-colonial" Kongo kingdom. In additional to a substantial slice of the
Congo, the BDK's "kingdom" includes land within the countries of Angola,
Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) and Gabon
March 4,
2008: Congolese police fought with BDK separatists in Bas-Congo province. The
trouble began in late February. According to UN sources, over a five day period
(February 29-March 4) 22 people have died in riots and battles with police. The
capital of Bas-Congo province, Matadi, has been the scene of several
disturbances, but the deadliest clashes have occurred in the town of Sekebanza
(north of Matadi).
