Second war of Congo

The second war of Congo is an armed conflict which took place within the territory of the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC, in the past Zaire) which began in 1998 and finished in 2002. It implies nine African countries , and about thirty armed groups, which makes of it more the Great War between State S in the Histoire of contemporary Africa.

This conflict generates many rapes and massacres and involves the death of approximately 4 to 4,5 million people mainly of famine and diseases. Million others was moved their grounds or found asylum in the adjoining countries. In spite of various initiatives and peace agreements which led at the official end of the war since 2002, and the installation of a transition government since June 30th, 2003, peace remains fragile. Many military groups remain mobilized, and of the engagements continue in 2007 in the east of the country (North-Kivu, South-Kivu, Ituri and north Katanga). The civil population continues to pay a heavy tribute with the militia, in particular made up of Rwandais nationals being itself escaped in Congo after having taken part in the Génocide in Rwanda, who make themselves guilty of many crimes.

Origins of the Second war of Congo

The recent conflict as a Democratic republic of Congo finds her origins in the Génocide in Rwanda of 1994, and the events related to the Burundi, which transfer hundreds of thousands of people of ethnic origin Hutu to flee these two countries for the east of the Zaire.

Two interpretations are opposed as for the reasons of the Rwandan presence in the oriental party of Zaire and when with the reasons for this country to enter in war to the sides of the Uganda.

According to the government of Kigali and of other sources , the refugee camps who resulted from it were quickly controlled by the militia Hutu Interahamwe, to which number of genocidary belonged, helped by the Hutu members of the old army Rwanda ise, and they would have considered an invasion.

According to other actors, the presence of the Rwandan troops in DRC is due to the will to plunder the DRC. This point of view is based in particular on a report/ratio of UNO required by the Safety advice which advances starting from the interviews carried out by the group of expert that the Rwandan army primarily remained for to get goods . The report/ratio also describes the strategy of all the groups armed present to plunder the resources of the basement to their profit, in a context of massacres and rapes.

The new Rwandan governmental army, dominated by the Tutsi protested against the violation of sound Territorial integrity, and started to arm Tutsi Banyamulenge with the east of Zaire. This intervention was denounced by the government of Zaire of President Mobutu Sese Seko. Mobutu had the support of the United States, because he was regarded as an important rampart against the Communisme in sub-Saharan Africa. However, with the end of the Cold war, both Superpuissance S had gradually disengaged sub-Saharan Africa. When the the United States withdrew their traditional support for Mobutu, the competitor rebels and States transfer an occasion of the évincer there capacity. Rwanda and Uganda started to deliver weapons and funds to the Alliance of the Democratic forces for the Release of Congo (AFDL) of Laurent-Desired Kabila.

Change of alliance

When Kabila took the control of the capital in May 1997, it had to face many obstacles to control the country which it re-elected “Democratic republic of Congo” (DRC). In slide, many groups tried to monopolize pieces of being able, in particular the debtors foreign, eager to keep their influence. In addition, the open presence of Rwandan in the capital irritated the Congoleses, who started to see Kabila like the toy of foreign powers.

The tensions reached new tops the July 14th 1998, when Kabila made resign its Rwandan principal private secretary, James Kabare, and replaced it by a Congolese. It seems that Kabila sufficiently felt to have ensured its Congolese base, to put some distance with the nations which had allowed him its accession the capacity.

Two weeks later, Kabila gave up these diplomatic steps. He thanked Rwanda for his assistance, and asked the withdrawal of the country of the Rwandan and Ugandan military forces. The Rwandan military advisers were evacuated of Kinshasa with little care in the 24 hours. The people more worry about this decision were the Banyamulenge of Eastern Congo. They were also used by Rwanda to influence the Eastern policy of the DRC. The persistent tension with their neighbors bantous had been one of the starting factors of the First war of Congo and will be once again at the origin of this conflict.

Factions in the conflict of Congo

The many armed groups can be arranged in four principal components. Because of the open nature of this war, these categorizations are prone to guarantee, alliances or the scissions having been numerous, the interests contradictory and evolving/moving.

; Forces Tutsi: including the national armies of the governments dominated by Tutsi with the Rwanda and the Burundi, the militia create by the populations tutsi Banyamulenge of DRC and forces of the Congolese Rassemblement for the Democracy based with Goma, close to Banyamulenge. These tutsi groups are primarily active in North and the South-Kivu, and in other central territories in direction of Kinshasa. Their goals are the national security of Rwanda and Burundi (genocidary DRC refusing to stop old the Hutu taken refuge on its territory), the defense of Tutsis in DRC , the control of the influence of the Uganda and the seizure on the natural resources of the territory of the Democratic republic of Congo. ; Forces Hutu: including the Rwandan Hutu persons in charge of the genocide of 1994, the Burundian rebels seeking to reverse their government, the Congolese Hutus and the militia associated May-May. The Hutu independent group are the Democratic forces of release of Rwanda ( FDLR ), operative in Kivu. Its goals are the expulsion of the foreign Tutsi forces and Banyamulenge, the inversion of the governments tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi, and invariably the control of the natural resources. ; Forces aligned on the Uganda: including the national army Ugandan and various rebellious groups supported by Uganda, the such Liberation movement of Congo ( MLC ), which controls primarily the north of DRC . They wish to make safe the borders of Uganda, to prevent the emergence of a Congolese state extremely, to control the influence of Rwanda, and to profit from the Congolese natural resources. ; Forces aligned on Kinshasa: including the national Congolese army, various nationalist groups May-May, and allied nations the such Zimbabwe, the Angola, the Chad and the Namibia. They control the west and the south of the Democratic republic of Congo. Their original intention is the restoration of the national unit, with a control on the territories and borders, and controls it natural resources.

Ethnic violence “” between forces Hutu and tutsi was regularly in the center of the conflict, with a mutual fear of elimination of its group. The forces Hutu and the government of Kinshasa established relations of alliance and proximity, their shared interest being the expulsion of the regular armies and the groups associated with Uganda and Rwanda. Whereas the forces of Uganda and Rwanda worked together for the conquest of territories at the expense of Kinshasa, the competition for the natural resources created a crack in their coalition. Uganda would make it possible Kinshasa to send weapons to the Hutu FDLR via the territory held by the allies of Uganda and Uganda itself, the Hutu and the government of Kinshasa seeking all, to differing degree, to control the influence of Rwanda and its allies.

Nature of the conflict

This war was not a war great battles and of clearly definite frontlines S. So of many regular and trained troops were implied, the leaders of these nations were reticent to imply their own troops in open combat. The equipment and the drive of these national armies involving an important investment for poor States. The vast zone of Congo split up the armed groups, and consequently the regular units were primarily stationed around strategic points, the such ports and airports, the important roads, rather than in zones of combat.

Thus, the war primarily was the fact of little organized military groups. These little trained and little disciplined troops were at the origin of frequent war crimes. Peace is all the more difficult to establish that these militia continue their exactions, in spites of the cease-fires issued by their superiors.

The essence of the conflict was focused on the control of the natural resources of Congo. The States of the Big lakes paid their military expenditure by exploiting minerals, diamonds and wood rare of Eastern Congo. The occupying forces raised important taxation of the population and the local economy, and requisitioned stocks of vivres of the area.

A competition for the control of the resources between the anti-Kabila forces also appeared in the conflict. In 1999, the Ugandan and Rwandan troops clashed in the town of Kisangani. The RCD was divided into two factions, weakening the anti-Kabila coalition and limiting from now on its operations to the oriental party of the DRC.

Unfolding of the war

The initial rebellious offensive threatened the Kabila government during a few weeks, which was saved only by the rapid intervention of several other African States. One moment, it seemed that one moved towards a conventional war open between several nations on the territory of the DRC. Such an exit was avoided at the time when the frontline was stabilized in 1999. Consequently, the conflict was the fact of irregular military forces, with few modifications in the territories held by all and sundry.

The rebels attack Kinshasa

The August 2nd 1998, the troops of Banyamulenge based with Goma were mutinèrent. Rwanda brought an immediate assistance to Banyamulenge, and at at the beginning of August, an armed and organized group was made up, the Congolese Rassemblement for the Democracy (RCD), composed in first of Banyamulenge and supported by Rwanda and Uganda. This group quickly took the control of the mineral resources of the Eastern provinces of the country, and took for center of its operations the town of Goma. The RCD also took the control of the towns of Bukavu and Uvira in Kivu. The government Rwandan, made up of Tutsis and combined with Uganda, and the benevolence of Burundi, occupied a portion of the North-East of Congo. To counter these new occupants, President Kabila invited of it using the Hutu S militant in Eastern Congo and started to assemble the populations against Tutsis, which caused many Lynchage S in the streets of Kinshasa, generally by Supplice of the tire. The August 12th, a honest major with the government of Kinshasa launched a call to resistance on a radio of Bunia.

The Rwandan government in addition claimed a significant share of the east of Congo, regarded as “historically Rwandan”. The Rwandan ones also claimed that Kabila planned a genocide against Tutsis in the area of Kivu. The importance according to which the intervention of Rwanda was justified by the protection Banyamulenge, opposed to the idea to use them like pretexts with aspirations, always raises question. In a movement of skirting, the rebels of the RCD seized an airliner and landed at the governmental base on the basis of Kitona on the Atlantique coast, where they were joined by mutinées governmental troops. Several cities of the east and in the neighborhoods of Kitona fell under the blows from the RCD, of Uganda and Rwanda, the diplomatic efforts of conciliation remained vain so much. August 13rd, the rebels had taken hydro-electric possession of complex of Inga which fed in electricity Kinshasa and the port of Matadi, which provided the essence of the provisioning of the capital in food and hydrocarbons. The diamond-like center of Kisangani fell to the hands from rebels the August 23rd and the forces coming from the east started to threaten Kinshasa as of at the end of August. Uganda, which abstained from supporting the RCD with Rwanda, also created a rebellious group which it helped exclusively, the Liberation movement of Congo (MLC).

In spite of the displacement of the frontlines, the engagements continued through the country. Even when the rebellious forces progressed towards Kinshasa, the governmental forces continued to fight for the control of the cities of the east of the country. The Hutu militants with whom Kabila tied alliances were always of the forces of importance in the east of the country.

Kabila gains regional allies

The rebellious offensive stopped the efforts of Kabila which started to bear their fruits. The first to answer were the members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Although officially the members of the SADC are bound by a treaty of mutual defense against an aggression outside, several members took a neutral position in the conflict. However, the Namibia, the Zimbabwe and the Angola quickly brought their support to the Kabila government after a meeting in the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare, the August 19th.

The motivations of these countries were variable: ; Angola: taken in a 25 year old civil war against the rebels of UNITA, Angola wished to eliminate the bases UNITA from the south Congo, which supplied the rebellion in exchange of Diamant S Angolan. It is for the same reason that Angola briefly took part in the First war of Congo for évincer Mobutu of the capacity. Angola did not think that a new president would be preferable in Kabila, and feared that instability in Congo does not benefit the UNITA.

; Zimbabwe: president Robert Mugabe was the burning support of help in Kabila, being interested by the natural wealths of Congo, and wishing to increase his prestige and his influence in Africa. Kabila and Mugabe had signed a contract of a value of 200 million USD, relating to companies held by Mugabe and its family. Various contracts of mining were negotiated in 1998 with companies under control of the Mugabe family. Mugabe was also regarded as being sent by President Nelson Mandela as ambassador of the interests of South Africa. The war was also an occasion to be confronted with another African president, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

; Namibia: president Sam Nujoma had interests in Congo similar to those of Mugabe, with members of his credits families in the Congolese mines. Namibia itself had only few interests to defend, and the intervention was denounced by the population and the leaders of the opposition.

Several other nations united in Kabila in this conflict for several reasons in the weeks which followed:

; Chad: Kabila had at the beginning discounted on a support of French-speaking Africa , but after the top of Libreville to the Gabon the September 24th, only Chad decided to send a thousand of men. For the France which encouraged this intervention, this intervention was a means of regaining influence in central Africa, where this one had fallen in disgrace since the Génocide to Rwanda from 1994.

; Libya: The government of Muammar Al-Qaddafi provides planes to transport troops of Chad. Qaddafi would have seen an occasion of financial profits, but also a way of breaking the situation of international insulation imposed by the the United States after the destruction in 1988 of the flight Pan Am 103 on the top of Lockerbie, in Scotland.

; Sudan: in September, of the not confirmed reports/ratios indicated that forces of the Sudanese government fought the rebels in Eastern Province, near the Sudanese and Ugandan borders. However, Sudan did not establish a durable and significant presence as a Democratic republic of Congo, although it offered a substantial help to three groups of Uganda rebels - the Lord' S Resistance Army, the Uganda National Rescue Front II and the Allied Democratic Forces - in reprisals for their support with the Sudan People' S Liberation Army. A war on several faces was started. In September 1998, the Zimbabwean forces were sent to Kinshasa to counter the rebel attacks threatening the accesses of the city, the rebels having forwarded of the forces of the south by the borders of Angola and the west by the enclave of Cabinda, against besieging rebellious. This intervention by several nations saved the government of Kabila, which pushed back far from the capital the frontlines. However, the rebellious forces were not defeats, and there was a direct confrontation with the national armies of Uganda and Rwanda.

In November 1998, a new group supported by Uganda, the Liberation movement of Congo made its appearance in north of the country. The November 6th, President Paul Kagame admitted for the first time that military forces of Rwanda helped the rebels in DRC for safety reasons, apparently following a request for Nelson Mandela to make progress the peace talks. The January 18th 1999, Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe decided on a cease-fire at the top of Windhoek, in Namibia but the Democratic republic of Congo was not invited. The engagements continued.

Out of Africa, many states remained neutral, and asked for the stop of violences. These states were reticent to send troops in the area. Many mining companies and diamond cutters Western, and in particular originating in the the United States, Canada, and of Israel, supported the Kabila government in exchange of trade agreements. These actions were worth to them many criticisms of the defense groups of the human rights.

The peace agreement of Lusaka

The April 5th 1999, the tensions between the RCD in connection with the domination of Banyamulenge reached its paroxysm when the leader of the RCD Ernest Wamba dia Wamba moved his command center of Gummed in Kisangani, zone controlled by Uganda. Another sign of rupture appeared when President Museveni of Uganda and Kabila signed a cease-fire the April 18th with Syrte, in Libya, after a mediation of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, and to which and the RCD and Rwanda refused to take share. The May 16th, Wamba was évincé direction of the RCD in favor of a pro-Rwanda figure. Seven days later, the various factions of the RCD clashed for the control of Kisangani. June 8th, the rebellious factions met to try to establish a common front against Kabila.

These circumstances contributed to the first cease-fire of the war. In July 1999, the Accord of cease-fire of Lusaka was signed by the six belligerent countries, (Democratic republic of Congo, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Uganda) and, it, the MLC. The RCD refused to sign. According to this agreement, the forces of the various parts, under the control of a joint military commission, will cooperate with the disarmament and the control of the groups armed present on the territory, and in particular those identified as being at the origin of the genocide in Rwanda of 1994. But the disarmament of these militia is made wait.

The Safety advice of the United Nations ordered the deployment of 90 liaison officers in August 1999 to assist the Cessez-le-feu. However, in the months which followed, all and sundry showed regular violations of the truce. The cease-fire remained fragile.

The tension between Uganda and Rwanda reached its point of rupture at at the beginning of August when units of the Uganda People' S Defense Forces and the Patriotic Armée with Rwanda clashed with Kisangani. In November, the governmental television of Kinshasa declared that the army of Kabila had been rebuilt and was ready to fulfill its “mission of releasing the country”. The Rwandan forces launched a broad offensive and approached Kinshasa before being recalled.

The November 30th 1999, the United Nations authorized a force of: 5500 men, the Mission of the United Nations for Congo, more known under its Acronym, MONUC, to supervise the cease-fire. However, the engagements continued between the governmental rebels and forces, and between the Rwandan and Ugandan forces, in particular between Uganda and Rwanda with Kisangani in May and June 2000 at the time of the Guerre the Six Day old. The August 9th 2000, a governmental offensive in the Province of Ecuador was stopped along the river Ubangui close to Libenge by the forces of the MLC. In spite of the failure of military operations, the bilateral diplomatic efforts or through the United Nations, the African Union and the South-African Communauté of development failed to make evolve/move the things.

The assassination of Kabila

In January 2001, Laurent-Desired Kabila was assassinated by one of its bodyguards. The silent partner could not be identified, but the allies of Kabila were manifestly exceeded of its duplicities , and in particular delay taken in the implementation of a roadmap for the introduction of a democratic constitution leading to free elections. The Angolan troops were visible at the time of the procession of Kabila funeral in Kinshasa. However, the transition was done easily.

By a unanimous vote of the Congolese Parliament, his/her son, Joseph Kabila, were named president to replace it. It was due largely to efforts in slide of Robert Mugabe. In February, the new president met the President Rwandais Paul Kagame in the United States. Rwanda, Uganda and the rebels agreed on a mediation of the United Nations for a plan for peace. Uganda and Rwanda started to withdraw their troops of the territory of the frontline.

In April 2001, a group of expert of the United Nations inquired into the illegal exploitation of Diamant S, Cobalt, Coltan, Or and other lucrative resources of Congo. The report/ratio indicated Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe like principal countries exploiting the Congolese resources, and recommended the catch of sanctions by the Safety advice.

A nominal agreement of peace

Different attempt to put an end to the conflict were made, without success. In 2002, the situation worsened in Rwanda. Many members of the RCD stopped the engagements or decided to join themselves the government of Kabila. Moreover, the Banyamulenge were wearied day in day of the supervision of Kigali and this uninterrupted conflict. Some of them were mutinèrent, which led to violent disputes between them and the Rwandan forces. At the same time, Eastern Congo became surer under the government of Joseph Kabila. The international assistance began again as the Inflation was again controlled.

The Accord of Sun City was formalized April 19th in 2002. It was a groundwork to establish in Congo a unified and multi-party government, and democratic elections. However, there be criticisms as for the fact that it was not mentioned unification of the army, which déforçait the agreement. In spite of various violations noted with the provisions envisaged, the agreement allowed the end of the engagements. The July 30th 2002, Rwanda and the Democratic republic of Congo signed the Peace agreement of Pretoria after five days of discussions to Pretoria, in South Africa. The talks were centered on two problems. One was the withdrawal of approximately: 20000 Rwandan soldiers of Congo. The other related to the former Hutu Rwandan soldiers and the dismantling of the militia extremist Interahamwe, who took share with the genocide of 1994 and who continued to be active in Eastern Congo. Rwanda had approximately: 20000 soldiers in Congo and refused to withdraw them before the Hutu militia were not neutralized.

Signed the September 6th 2002, the Accord of Luanda formalized peace as a Democratic republic of Congo and Uganda. The treaty established the withdrawal of the Ugandan troops of Bunia and the improvement of the relations between the two countries, but the implementation was problematic. Eleven days later, the first Rwandan soldiers withdrew DRC. The October 5th, Rwanda announced the complete withdrawal of its troops. The MONUC confirmed the departure of more than: 20000 Rwandan soldiers.

The October 21st, the United Nations published a report of its panel of experts on the plundering of the natural resources in Congo by armed groups. Rwanda and Uganda rejected the charges in their opposition, according to which some their political directors and soldiers were implied in illegal traffics of these resources.

The December 17th 2002, Congolese members of the Dialog Inter Congolese, namely: national Government, the MLC, the RCD, the RCD-ML, the RCD-N, the local political opposition, the representatives of the civil society and May May, signed a total peace agreement. The agreement described a plan for a governmental transition which was to lead to presidential and legislative elections in the two years of the signature. This agreement marked the official end of the Second war of Congo.

End of the war: the Transition government

Three rebellious groups supported by Uganda, the MLC, the RCD-N and the RCD-ML, signed a cease-fire, the Accord of Gbadolite, the December 31st, 2002. They were to stop the engagements in the perimeter Isiro - Bafwasende - Beni - Watsa, and to accept the arrival of observers of the the United Nations in this zone. The agreement also included/understood guarantees of freedom of movement of the civil populations and humanitarian organizations.

In spite of the official end of the hostilities, engagements perdurèrent. During January and February 2003, MONUC observed many troop movements, mainly between Uganda, Rwanda and their respective zones of occupation. May 1st 2003, Uganda withdrew its regular army of Bunia and the Ituri in conformity with the Accord of Luanda. Engagements intervened between the Hema and the Lendu between the 7 and the May 16th in Bunia.

The June 30th 2003, the formation of the Transition government ratifies officially the end of the Second War of Congo.

Effects

The conflict had many effects, primarily negative. The war destroyed the saving in this already impoverished area, the investors being moved away, and the resources having been used to feed the war more than to develop the countries. Most of the infrastructures, already dying women, was destroyed or damaged. The continuation and the food of the ethnic tensions which had already generated the Génocide in Rwanda, quickly accentuated post-colonial divisions ethnic in Congo what involved this war and its consequences.

The rape of the women was used as means of terror and domination during the conflict. In October 2004, the group of the Human rights of Amnesty International counted: 40000 cases of Rape during the six previous years, the majority of between-them being produced in the South-Kivu. It is about an incomplete table, the international humanitarian organizations and not having access to number of the zones of combat, and only the women being identified being entered. The number of violated women is generally considered as being quite higher. All the forces present in the conflict were guilty rapes, although the militia and several groups of nonregular armies are guiltiest. Médicalement, an abnormally high number vaginal women suffering from Fistule S was noted, which is generally resulting it from collective rapes. The endemic nature of the rapes in this conflict contributed to the transmission of the sexually transmitted diseases, including the AIDS, in the area.

The number of deaths resulting from the war is estimated at 3,8 million people, number drawn from investigations led by International Rescue Committee. The majority of these deaths (80-90%) results from diseases and malnutrition, whose cause is charged to the deficiencies of the departments of health and agriculture, and with displacement from the refugees. The report/ratio 2004 of the IRC estimates in fact this number of died between 3,4 and 4,4 million, a variation resulting from the inaccuracies of the model of simulation used.

The other effects include the displacement of approximately 3,4 million people within the DRC, as well as the impoverishment of hundreds of thousands of others . The majority of moved come from the east of the country. Nearly 2 million people were also moved towards the neighbouring regions, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Recently, some have dreaded a third war of Congo.

Glossary of the armed groups

the Groups are classified depending on the state in which they are most active. ; Angola

UNITA

; Democratic republic of Congo

Alliance of the Democratic forces for the Release of Congo (AFDL): alliance supported by Rwanda and Uganda, which évinça Mobutu and carried Kabila to the capacity.
Armed with the Congolese People (APC): or Congolese Popular Army. military wing of the RCD-ML.
National army Congolese (ANC): military wing of RCD-Gummed
Banyamulenge: Tutsis of the South-Kivu, which was particularly active in AFDL, and always influential within the ANC
Congolese Armed forces (FAC): national army of the Democratic republic of Congo
Face of Release of Congo (FLC): alliance which Uganda tried to assemble while uniting the MLC, the RCD-N and the RCD-ML under the aegis of Jean-Pierre Bemba in November 2000 to centralize the control of the Provinces Eastern and Ecuador in 2000. Abandoned project in August 2001.
May-May: generic term for group of patriotic Congolese militia. The term also refers to various resistance movements in Eastern Africa of the time of the colonial occupation.
Liberation movement of Congo (MLC): group rebel supported by Uganda, operative in province of Ecuador, and directed by Jean-Pierre Bemba. Created in 1998. Sometimes incorrectly regarded as the Ugandan forces themselves.
Congolese Gathering for the Democracy (RCD): name shared by various armed groups, but generally employed for RCD-Gummed.

RCD-Congo: faction of RCD-Gummed, directed by Kin-Kiey Mulumba, which made secession in June 2002
RCD-Gummed: group rebel supported by Rwanda, founded in the city of Gummed in August 1998 against Laurent Kabila. Technically, the ANC is the military branches of RCD-Gummed, but the distinction is not always made.
RCD-K: group rebel supported by Uganda, directed by Wamba dia Wamba, which made secession of RCD-Gummed in March 1999. It became the RCD-ML directed by Nyamwisi in September 1999. Also known under the name of RCD-Wamba. See RCD-K/ML
RCD-Kisangani/Liberation movement (RCD-K/ML): refers to the RCD-K which became the RCD-ML
RCD-ML: group rebel supported by Uganda, directed by Mbusa Nyamwisi. Credit in North, the South-Kivu and Ituri. See RCD-K/ML. Armament of Kinshasa would have accepted, in agreement with Uganda, which was divided with the FDLR against the Tutsi forces.
RCD-National (RCD-N): group rebel supported by Uganda, and directed by Roger Lumbala, who left the RCD-K/ML and is now combined with the MLC

Union of the Congolese patriots (UPC), directed by Thomas Lubanga. Movement close to Rwanda, mainly active in Ituri, and primarily made up members of the ethnos group Hema.

; Burundi

National council for the defense of the Democracy-Forces for the Defense of the Democracy (CNDD-FDD): group rebel generally called FDD.
Burundian Armed forces (FAB): Burundian national army, dominated by Tutsis, cooperating occasionally with the RCD and the RDF
Face of National Release (FLN or FROLINA): Hutu militia directed by Joseph Kalumba

; Namibia ; Rwanda

Armed with Release of Rwanda (ALiR): Hutu successor of the Interahamwe organizations and the RDR, based in Kivu, also recruiting Congolese Hutus. Became the FDLR in September 2000.
Democratic forces of release of Rwanda (FDLR): anti-Tutsi Hutu independent group currently active, supported by Kinshasa. Created in 2000 after the Hutu organizations of Kinshasa and ALiR of Kivu decided to amalgamate. In July 2002, the units of the FDLR always present at Kinshasa went to Kivu. 15 000 with 20 000 members.
Interahamwe : Anti-Tutsi Rwandan Hutus Hutu, largely responsible for the genocide of 1994, and which fled in Eastern Congo
Democratic Rassemblement for Rwanda: successor of the Interahamwe organization, which was melted in ALiR
Defense forces of Rwanda (FDR): Rwandan national army, dominated by Tutsis. Name for Patriotic Armée of Rwanda (APR) changed Patriotic in June 2002
Front Rwandan (FPR): political wing of the rebellious group supported by Uganda, directed by Paul Kagame, and which seized the power in 1994 by putting in escape the genocidary ones.

; Uganda

Allied Democratic Forces (ADF): group active rebel in Western Uganda, with base camps in DRC. Broadly inactive.
Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF): national army of Uganda

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