sources: NCN,ACP,Le Soir, De Standaard
May 14 1999
-Under supervision of the Libyan leader Khadafi a peace accord
has been signed by Kagame and Kabila in Syrte (Libye). Several
other African leaders were present, as Aferworki (Erytrea),
Nyerere (Tanzania), Compaore (Burkina Fasso), Idriss Deby (Chad),
Patasse (CAR), Jammeh (Gambia), Ben Bella (Algeria) and Niasse
(on behalf of the UN). It was agreed that the rebel movements
should also be present at the next peace conference at Lusaka.
May 16 1999
-The rebel movement RCD,residing in Goma, has removed his leader
Wamba dia Wamba. The new leader is Emile Ilunga. A number of RCD
assembly members has seceded and moved to Kisangani in the
Province Oriental.
May 20 1999
-The fighting is continuing at several places. The cities of
Businga (Equateur) and Kabambare (Maniema) are reconquered by the
government troops. Near Kabinda (East Kasai) the combats between
government and rebels are heavy. In Kisangani the rebels of Wamba
dia Wamba clashed with Rwandan troops. The Ugandans are fighting
on the side of Wamba dia Wamba.
-The troops of Chad are leaving the Congo in accordance with the
peace agreement of Syrte.
May 31 1999
-The Rwandans have reinforced their army in South Kivu near
Bukavu. They are fighting against the Mai-Mai.
June 1 1999
-Congolese Justice minister, Mwenze Kongole, is visiting Kampala
to discuss the application of the Syrte peace agreement.
June 2 1999
-North of Bukavu bombings by the Congo government coalition have
taken place.
June 5 1999
-The committee for the application of the Syrte peace agreement
between Uganda and the DRC is arriving in Kinshasa. The
institution of this committee resulted from the meeting of
minister Kongolo and his Ugandan colleague in Kampala on June 1.
The stake is withdrawal of foreign troops from the DRC,
stationing of an African Peace corps and starting of peace talks
between the DRC government and the rebels.
June 10 1999
-Four members of the Sant'Egidio community in Rome have arrived
in Kinshasa to initiate the peace talks. Sant'Egidio has offered
his mediation to the Congolese parties in the conflict.
June 13 1999
-President Mbeki of South Africa is ready to place troops at the
disposal for peace maintenance in the Congo, just as president
Obasanjo of Nigeria.
June 15 1999
-The rebels claim to have conquered the place Lusambo at 120 km
north of diamond city Mbuji Mayi.
June 21 1999
-The UN Security Council holds a private meeting about the Congo
war.
June 17 1999
-Opposition leader Joseph Olenghankoy has been released from
prison. Two other opponents, Jean Kabanda and Matthieu Kalele
have also been released. Some days later, four journalists were
arrested, 3 of the journal Tempete des Tropiques and Godefroid
Kyangwe of a Lubumbashi journal.
-At a meeting in South Africa under the leadership of Zambian president Chiluba some African leaders have reached an agreement about a cease-fire and the stationing of an UN peace force . They have the intention to meet again on June 26 to the signing by all parties in the conflict.
June 19 1999
-The Congolese copper and cobalt company Gecamines has started
a cooperation with his Zambian counterpart, Zambian Consolidated
Mining Corp.
-The civil society of South Kivu published a document about the serious repression of civil groups in this province, occupied by the rebels.
June 29 1999
-In Lusaka representatives of the concerned governments are
working to complete a peace agreement.
July 1 1999
-The talks in Lusaka have been suspended. The rebels do not agree
with each other about their representation at the peace
conference. In the meantime fighting are continuing, a.o. near
Kabinda (East Kasai) and in South Kivu.
July 3 1999
-Allegedly all parties in the conflict reached an agreement
about a cease-fire. Nevertheless the movement of Bemba, MLC, has
just conquered the city of Gbadolite.
July 5 1999
-The Lusaka peace talks have temporarily stopped. There are some
problems: Rwanda wants to have a garanty that the Interahamwe
will be disarmed; the Congolese Foreign Affairs minister Yerodia
Ndombasi does not agree about the participation of the rebels in
the Joint Military Commission that will control the cease-fire;
and it is unclear who will have the administration of the
occupied regions.
July 6 1999
- NCN reports about the seizure of MIBA diamonds by the Congolese
government. The government has the intention to sell the diamonds
on the Congolese market and not at the Antwerp market. NCN is
also reporting about the Rwandan dealing of Congolese minerals
like tantalite and mobium, which are important for Western high
tech.
July 7 1999
-The ministers of Foreigh Affairs of the DRC, Angola, Zimbabwe,
Namibia, Uganda and Rwanda have signed a draft peace accord. The
Congolese rebels have also accepted it.
July 10 1999
-The heads of state of the 6 involved countries have signed the
peace agreement in Lusaka. The rebels are refusing to sign. The
agreement include stationing of a peace force under the auspices
of the UN and the OAU, disarmement of all rebel groups (
including a.o.the Ugandan Lords Resistance Army and the Rwandan
Hutu rebels), the institution of a Joint Military Commission to
watch over the peace process. The JMC consists of representatives
of the high military of the involved countries. The Congolese
parties keep the administration of their controled regions till
the implementation of a central power. A especially set up force
has to trace war criminals.
July 15 1999
- Kabila promises a total amnesty for the rebels.
- The Algerian general Rachid Lalhali is designated as head of the Joint Military Commission (JMC).
July 16 1999
-UN secretary general Kofi Annan plans to send 500 observers to
the Congo war region. This mission will only start after the
signing of the peace accord by the rebels. The peace force, which
will work under the name MONUC, has to contain a number of 25 000
troops.
July 20 1999
-Contrary to the peace agreement the rebels are advancing in the
North of Congo. The RCD faction of Wamba dia Wamba supporting by
Ugandans has conquered the place of Gemena and is marching upon
Zongo at the border of the Central African Republic, and to
Libenge 120km south of Bangui.
July 23 1999
-The UN Security Council accepts informally the stationing of a
peace force in the DRC.
August 26 1999
-South African minister of Foreign Affairs, Nkosazana Zuma, has
convinced the rebels to sign the peace agreement. The signing
will take place in Lusaka om August 31. All founders of the RCD,
more than 50, will sign individually to accept a cease-fire
within 24 hours.
August 30 1999
- The Special UN Rapporteur for the Human Rights in the DRC,
Roberto Garreton, is visiting Kinshasa where he talked with
Kabila.
September 4 1999
-One of the issues at the summit of Francophony that takes place
in Moncton (Canada) is the war in the DRC. The ex-president of
Benin, Emile Zinzou, offers to mediate in the conflict as
representative of the Francophony. Some times earlier, the Roman
community, Sant'Egidio has also designated a mediator namely
padre Matteo Zuppi.
-The UN has sent 3 envoys to Nairobi to prepare the presence of UN observers. The first group existing of 26 observers should be formed within one week. Four of them will participate in the JMC, 6 of them will organize a UN headquarter in Kinshasa and 16 will go to the different capitals.
September 5 1999
-Ugandan opposition leader Aggrey Awori attacks the war policy
of the Museveni government. Some hundred people were slaughered
in Kisangani (East Congo) last month during a clash between
Ugandan and Rwandan troops. The Ugandan elite is enriching
itselves by plundering gold, wood and diamonds from Congo,
according to Awori.
September 6 1999
-The president of the French community in Brussels, Herve
Hasquin, talked with Kabila during the francophone summit in
Moncton. Kabila incited the Belgian to greater cooperation with
the DRC.
September 7 1999
-Kabila has renewed the top of his army. Sylvestre Lwuesha,
leader of the Mai-Mai, is designated chief staff of the army.
Faustin Munene chief of the air force and Joseph Kabila head of
the land force.
Kabila has decided to diminish the role of the Military Court,
which since August 1998 also treated civil cases.
September 9 1999
-South Africa is training 230 man troops as a contribution to a
peace force in the DRC. The UN want to deploy 90 liaison officers
in the different capitals. In Kampala also there will be a UN
headquarter. Till now the UN have not definitively decided about
the forming of a peace corps.
-The RCD rebels accuse Kabila of violating the peace agreement. Two cities, Kole (East Kasai) and Bokungu (Equateur) should be attacked by governments soldiers.
-Ugandan and Rwandan troops are leaving Kisangani. The Ugandan military now has its HQ in Gbadolite and the Rwandan in Goma. Recently the Rwandan troops in Kivu have been reinforced.
-The JMC and the allied political commission have a meeting in
Lusaka to discuss the progress of the peace process. Bizima
Karaha and Alexis Thambwe are the political representatives of
the rebel movement RCD-Goma.
Mediator Zinzou wants to organize a 'table ronde' in Nairobi or
Rome as soon as the cease-fire starts.
September 17 1999
-The Congolese government has closed all exchange-offices. In the
future foreign valuta transactions have to be made by the
National Bank or the commercial banks. In the opinion of the
Congolese government this will avoid the hausse of prices.
-Kabila has officially invited the rebels to a national debate.
On September 22 he will meet with the mediators Zinzou and Matteo
Zuppi.
The rebels refuse to encounter Kabila.
September 23 1999
-During the UN session in New York African leaders expressed
their disappointment about the lack of international interest for
the problems in Africa. Chiluba asks the UN to act more fastly
to prepare the UN DRC-mission.
-Kabinda (East Kasai and some 120km removed from Mbuji Mayi) is constantly attacked by the rebels.
September 27 1999
-Some Zimbabweans, a.o. chief of staff Zvinavashe, cooperate with
a company run by Congolese military. The Zimbabwean company is
named Osleg Private Lim. and the Congolese is named Comiex.
Jointly they exploit gold and diamond mines in the DRC to finance
the war.
September 28 1999
-The American envoy to the Great Lake region, Howard Wolpe, is
supporting the Lusaka accord. The US propose also the forming of
a special Southern African force to intervene when insurgents
attack from neigbor states.
September 30 1999
-In Kinshasa arrived the first part of the UN mission to prepare
the installation of 100 to 400 liaison officers in the capitals
of the involved countries.
Kabila accepts 3 mediators: Matteo Zuppi, Zinzou and the Togolese Edan Kodjo. The last two are not accepted by the rebels.
-The rebels and the Rwandan army are advancing to Kananga in the Kasai.
There are tensions between the 2 factions of the RCD rebels. Wamba dia Wamba has appointed his own governor in North Kivu, where the RCD has earlier appointed someone else.According to the Ugandan journal New Vision the Ugandan army is training the Wamba rebels in the places of Beni, Bunia and Isiro (East Province). Rwanda has the intention to annex the region from Goma till Bukavu. Near Rutshuru (Northern of Goma) there are clashes between Rwandan and Ugandan troops.
October 4 1999
-350 Hutu civilians from North Kivu have fled to Uganda while
Rwanda is reinforcing its troops.
October 5 1999
-Wamba dia Wamba has renamed his movement: RCD-ML(Mouvement de
Liberation). Premier of this group is Mbusa Nyamwisi; Pashi
Claver and Jacques Depelchin are respectively minister of Foreign
Affairs and of Administration.
-In Kinshasa a conference takes place organized by the civil society of both parts of Congo, the part governed by Kabila and the occupied part. The conference has made an evaluation of the Lusaka peace accord and appealed the warring parties to a cease- fire.
October 6 1999
-There are reports about new fightings in East Kasai.
October 7 1999
-Despite signing of the Lusaka accord the rebels are continuing
to conquer places in the North of Congo, a.o. Gemena, Mandombe,
Zongo, Makanza, Bolungu and Yalusaka.
-Factually the Congo is divided in three parts: the North, occupied by Uganda, MLC of Bemba, RCD-ML of Wamba dia Wamba, the East, occupied by Rwanda and the RCD of Ilunga, and the remaining part of Kabila.
October 11 1999
-A meeting of high military of the in the war involved countries
takes place in Kampala to start with the Joint Military
Commission (JMC).
October 13 1999
-According to the Bukavu civil organisation Source Independente
du Congo a massacre has been performed near the catholic mission
post Kalambi by RCD rebels who raised fire to the houses, looted
and murdered a great number of civilians. This massacre was a
form of revenge against civilians who were suspected of
supporting the Mai Mai.
October 14 1999
-Congolese minister of Foreigh Affairs, Yerodia Ndombasi, has
opened the national debate in Kinshasa without the presence of
the rebel movements.
October 19 1999
-The members of the political commission for the peace process
has met in Lusaka. They ask the UN to urge matters on sending of
a peace force.
-Uganda and Rwanda have sent their representatives to The Hague to defend their case before the International Court of Justice.
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