Sources: ACP, NCN, Le Soir, De Standaard, Africa News Online
-Two journalists, Andre Ikapala (Reference Plus) and Modeste Mutinga (Le Potentiel) are arrested in Kinshasa by the Agence Nationale de Renseignement. They are interrogated about the conference in South Africa that took place last week and which was assisted by them.
-The former Mobutu-general Ilunga has been appointed by the RCD as leader of the military operations.
-President Kabila called up for a national debate with all the parties, inclusive the rebels. He mentioned three discussion subjects: legitimacy of the state power, the constitutional propositions and the liberalization of the political parties. The catholic community Sant'Egidio in Rome is ready to mediate at this debate.
-Kabila has contracted some lobbyists in the USA. It concerns Edward von Kloberg and the agency Cohen & Woods International.
Wednesday March 17 1999
-The UNHCR is concerned about the great influx of Congolese refugees to Zambia. Some 900 refugees arrived in one hour in the Zambian border place Kalanda, escaping from the fighting near Pepa and Pweto. The UNHCR is preparing a camp at the more inland place Mporokoso.
Saturday March 20 1999
-The rebels are trying to conquer the diamond region of the Kasai. Fightings take place at 150km from Mbuji Mayi.
-Kabila appointed Kibassa Maliba as Minister of Mining and Moleka Moliwa as Minister of Social Affairs.
Tuesday March 23 1999
-Hundred people were killed in Magunga, a place at Lake Tanganyika. They were Banyamulenge, killed by Rwandan soldiers.
-Tshisekedi does not agree with Kabila's idea for a national debate. He prefers a round table under the auspices of the UN, OAU and SADC.
-The number of Congolese refugees in Zambia has grown to 12 000.
Wednesday March 24 1999
-President Chiluba of Zambia says that Kabila is ready to talk with the rebels.
-There are reports that the place Eshimba (North Katanga) is under control of the rebels, but Kabinda has not yet been conquered.
-250 civilians were slaughered by the rebels between 19 and 21 March in South Kivu near Burhinyi and Ngweshe, according to MISNA.
-The DRC representative at the UN assemblee in New York asks the international community to condemn the massacre of civilians in East Congo.
Friday 26 March 1999
-The UN declare that a credible peace force in the Congo needs the number of 100 000 troops. The costs would be a million dollars by month. However, the international efforts for peace forces have been shifted from Africa to Europe, according to remarks of general Philip Sabanda, the former UN commander in Angola.
-The Namibian general Denga Ndaitwah informs about the planning of a common command structure for the Congo coalition, concerning the Namibian, Angolan, Zimbabwean and Chadish troops.
Tuesday March 30 1999
-More than 80 000 refugees from the neigbour countries Angola and Congo-Brazzaville are staying in Bas Congo. In Kaputa (North Zambia) are more than 15 000 Congolese refugees who are often injured by the war.
-Heavy fightings take place near the city of Kabalo between Ugandan, Rwandan, Burundian and rebel troops and the Congo coalition of Kabila. Kabalo is some 130 km east of Mbuji Mayi.
Thursday April 1 1999 - Kabila has asked the support of president Eyadema of Togo.
-The secretary-general of the OAU, Salim Ahmed Salim, visited Kinshasa. He supports the idea for a national debate.
- Yerodia Abdoulayi, minister of foreign affairs in the Kabila government, says that Congo will admit an intervention force, but only at the border with Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Separation of Congo in two parts is out of question.
- Italy makes $ 800.000 available for support of institutions of public health. The German organisation Caritas gives DM 200.000 for the victims of Makabola. According to MISNA, in this town in South-Kivu 500 people have been murdered by the rebels last year. - Hamuli Kabarhuza, secretary of the Conseil National des ONG de Developpement, has been arrested in Kinshasa. It has not become clear for what reason, but he has been released later on.
Wednesday April 7 1999
-Kofi Annan appoints a special envoy for Congo: the Senegalese Mustafa Niasse.
-Kabila appoints several ambassadors: Paul Bandoma (Germany), Thomas Kanza (Sweden), Nduba Kimbaya (Czechia) and Ghislain Demofike (Canada), Earlier Umba had been appointed as ambassador in Italy.
- The UN-organisation PNUD wants to contribute to the set up of the national debate.
- Minister of human rights, Okitundu, participates in Geneva at the 55th session of the UN-committee for Human Rights.
- The rebels say not to participate at the national debate.
- The Congolese franc has been devaluated further: on the black market the rate is 5 CF for 1 $, officially it is 3 CF for 1 $.
- Kabila has visited his collegue Arap Moi of Kenya. After this visit Kabila repeated his willingness to talk with the rebels. Moi has offerded Nairobi as a place for a meeting of all Congolese parties.
- The World Food Program of the UN expects that shortly there will be 40.000 Congolese refugeees in Kaputa, North-Zambia. The situation becomes delicate: 27 cases of cholera have been registered, and a bridge giving access to the region has been destroyed so that a supply of 54 tons of mais for the refugees has been delayed.
Saturday April 10 1999
- The UN Security Council has made an appeal to end the war in
Congo. It asks:
* withdrawal of all non-invited troops;
* restoration of the power of the government in the whole
region;
* a political dialogue between the Congolese parties;
* support for the mediation efforts of the SADC.
After the end of the war the UN will consider its involvement in
a political solution.
- In Luanda a meeting is taking place between Kabila, Dos Santos, Mugabe and Nujoma. The four presidents have come together to an agreement of mutual defense.
Tuesday April 13 1999
- The rebels have conquered Lubefo, a town at 180 km north of Mbuji Mayi.
- Reportedly Uganda, Rwanda and the rebels are preparing a new attack on the diamond province Kasai. The Ugandan general Odongo and the Rwandan Chief staff Kayumba Nyamwasa have departed to Kabalo in North-Katanga, which is in the hands of the rebels. There is mention of a coalition with the Angolese rebel movement, UNITA, that is supposed to attack Mbuji Mayi from the south-west.
Friday April 16 1999
-Some 980 candidates have presented themselves to participate at the national debate and also 912 organisations.
Saturday April 17 1999
-The meeting in Lusaka between the Congolese government and the rebels under the leadership of president Chiluba of Zambia has been finished after two days. The rebels do not agree with the cease-fire, proposed by Kabila.
Monday April 19 1999
-President Museveni of Uganda and Kabila met each other in Libye in the city of Sirte. This meeting was organised by the Libyan leader Khadaffi. President Aferwerki of Erithrea and president Idriss Deby of Chad assisted the debate. Afterwards Kabila declared that he and Museveni agreed with a cease-fire and that Uganda was ready to withdraw his troops from Congo. Observers from Libye and Erithrea will inspect the success of the agreement after 15 days.
Thursday 22 April 1999
-The agreement of Libye is not respected by Rwanda and the RCD of Wamba dia Wamba.
-ACP reports that Congolese representatives will be received on April 30 by the catholic community Sant'Egidio in Rome for the first phase of the national debate. The second phase will be held in Nairobi on Mai 6.
-Kabila has announced the dissolution of the AFDL. Recently Kabila established "committees of the power of the people", Comites du Pouvoir Populaire,to strengen the influence of the grass roots.
Friday April 30
-It is reported that inhabitants of the Masisi have been slaughtered on April 8 by Tutsi rebels and Rwandan soldiers. This event fits to a plan for ethnic cleansing of the region. The inhabitants are members of the Hunde and Nyanga tribe. Rwanda is claiming the sovereignty of the Masisi.
Saturday Mai 1 1999
-The national debate - in Rome as well as in Nairobi- has been
delayed.The opposition, rebels and non-military opposition, and
a part of the civil society (ASADHO and CNONGD) disagree with the
concept of the national debate.
The agreement of Libya does not work.Fightings in East Congo are
continuing.
Tuesday Mai 4 1999
-The Congolese Franc has devaluated again. On the black market one must pay 6 CF for the dollar, officially 4,5 CF. The inflation has increased last month, for transport p.e. by 100%, for education 58% and for food by 23%.
-The rebel movement shows great dissensions.
* Wamba dia Wamba says that the RCD-group in Goma only seeks his
own interests. Wamba now has his command post in Kisangani.
*The RCD faction in Kisangani is supported by Uganda, the faction
is Goma is supported by Rwanda. To the last one are belonging:
Lunda Bululu, former Mobutu minister, Bizima Karaha and commander
Ondekane.
*Jean-Pierre Bemba's rebel movement in Equateur is supported by
Uganda and is now a greater movement than the RCD.
* Uganda is reproaching Rwanda a.o. of a lack of dicipline.
Friday Mai 7 1999
-In the North East 63 people died following a virus resembling the Ebola virus of the 1995 epidemic.
Saturday 8 Mai 1999
-Rwanda has sent new troops to Katanga. In the Kasai a number of Congolese troops is fleeing for the war after the conquering in April of the place Lodja by the rebels with the help of Uganda.
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