Sources: Le Soir, De Standaard, allAfrica, AfricaInfodoc
October 30 2000
-The leader of rebel movement RCD-Goma has retired. It is reported that Rwanda didn't agree with the leadership of Ilunga. A new Rwanda supported leader has been appointed: Adolphe Onusumba.
November 3 2000
-In Kisangani a UN team has started an investigation of the havocs and massacres of civilians by the Rwandan and Ugandan military that takes place in June. At this moment Kisangani is in the power of rebel movement RCD-Goma, while Rwanda and Uganda has withdraw their troops at the distance of 100km. But there are soldiers of both armies still illegal in the town.
November 5 2000
-Uganda has sent tanks and reinforcements to Bunia in the North of Congo, where clashes takes place between two rival rebel groups, the RCD-ML rebel movement with leader Mbusa Nyamwise and that of Wamba dia Wamba. The Ugandan commander James Kazini supports the group of Mbusa.
November 7 2000
-The UN team for the investigation of the exploitation of the Congolese natural resources pays a visit to Kampala, capital of Uganda. This team, under the leadership of Ivorian Safiatou Ba-Ndaw, has been appointed by the UN Security Council to analyse the connection between illegal trade of minerals and the continuation of war. She will talk to president Museveni and other leaders of the Great Lakes Region.
-UN representative for the Congo, Kemal Morjane, visits Togo president Eyadema, the current president of the Organisation for African Unity. The OAU has to play an important role in the solution of the Congo conflict and of other African conflicts, according to Morjane.
-Some members of the EU parliament, the Belgian Nelly Maes and the Dutch Jan Kees Wiebenga and Bob van den Bos, pay a visit to Kinshasa. The EU parliament supports the Lusaka peace agreement.
In their report (11/30) they mention that different Congolese groups, civil society, churches, opposition etc. criticize the Lusaka accord. They all first want the withdrawal of foreign troops and they estimate the accord humiliating for the Congolese party in the conflict.
-Dutch UN ambassador Peter van Walsum has said that the Netherlands want to place on the agenda the humanitarian crises, under which the Congo, during their presidency of the UN Assemblee.
November 8 2000
-In Libye a small summit takes place organised by "Mathabo", an international forum for peace in the Great Lakes Region. Members of Cahaba are: the presidents of Mali and Senegal, Kotare and Adulate Wade, the leader of the Nicaraguan Sandiness, Daniel Ortega, the leader of the black American Moslem, Louis Farakan and the Ghanese Mr. Kodjo.
At the top in Tripoli are present: Museveni, Kagame and Victor Mpoyo, the Congolese minister of State. They come to the decision that a neutral African peace force has to be placed at the frontiers of Uganda and Rwanda, which should be able to disarm the militia operating in Congo.
-Western donors are demanding Rwanda to withdraw from the DRC. American ambassador Georges Staples says that the reduction of military expenditures will free money for real needs. EU representative Jeremy Lester said the same.
-The DRC plans to restart the production of cobalt. The Congolese company Gecamines - settled in Lubumbashi - has therefore entered into a joint venture with two other mining companies: Societe Scories du Terril and Congo Minerals. They expect a production of 17 000 tons yearly. The Belgian group Georg Forrest is building a furnace for the sum of $ 120 million.
November 11 2000
-In Kalima (province of Maniema) some 27 000 Congolese refugees have arrived because of fighting at Shabunda (South-Kivu) between RCD rebels and Mai Mai together with Interahmwe.
Rwandans and rebels say to have conquered the town of Pepa on the Tanganyika Lake (North Katanga).
-The situation in Bunia and in a great part of Ituri is very insecure. Troops of Mbusa Nyamwisi and John Tibasima supported by some UPDF officers are fighting against troops of Wamba dia Wamba. On November 18 the UPDF takes over the power in Bunia. Wamba is taken to Kampala accompanied by the special Congo advisor of Museveni, kol. Kahinda Otafire. Mbusa and Katirimi establish their military quarter in Kisangani.
November 14 2000
-Museveni has declared to the UN team investigating the role of Congolese minerals in the conflict that Uganda doesn't steal the riches of Congo. Kagame has said the same.
November 16 2000
-The UN reports that the number of Congolese refugees is estimated by 1.6 million.
-Belgium gives $10 million humanitarian aid to the Congolese rebel movement RCD of Adophe Onusumba. (!)
November 17 2000
-The Joint Military Commission in charge with the cease-fire control regrets that after depart of the former no new international observers have been sent. The lack of funds is the cause for the stagnation of the work of the JMC.
Zambian minister of Foreign Affairs, Silwamba, says that he regrets the violation of the cease-fire in the provinces Equateur, Kasai and Katanga.
It is reported that the parties in the conflict are busy rearming to continue with a large-scale war.
November 18 2000
-The French lawyer Jacques Verges will ask the International Court in Den Haag cancellation of the Belgian warrant of arrest against Yerodia Ndombasi, Congolese minister of Foreign Affairs, accused by the Belgian prosecutor of crimes against humanity. During a speech in august 1998 he has offended the Tutsi-rebels.
November 20 2000
-Kabila have talked with Belgian deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Annemarie Neyts. The talks were in a tense atmosphere. Kabila wants Uganda and Rwanda first to withdraw their troops according to UN resolution 1304 of 16 June before "Lusaka" can be implemented.
November 21 2000
-Kabila has appointed a new government. The minister of Foreign Affairs, Yerodia Ndombasi, is now appointed minister of Education. Leonard She Okitundu, former minister of Humanities, will be the new minister of Foreign Affairs. Further remarkable things are the appointments of two big men from the Mobutu area: Sakombi as minister of Communication, and gen. Likulia as minister of Portefeuille.
November 24 2000
-The Congolese non-armed opposition has a meeting in Brussels. They demand the support of the international community and ask the UN Security Council the enforcement of all resolutions. They also ask an embargo on arms supply and on energy products for all belligerents and a stop of the plundering of Congolese minerals.
November 27 2000
-Seven in the war involved African leaders have started talks in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, under the leadership of South African president Mbeki, to continue the meeting of 16 October when was decided that all foreign troops should withdraw on a distance of 15 km. It is reported that Kabila promised more freedom of movement for UN observers.
November 29 2000
-Thirty civilians were murdered by Ugandan troops in a village near Butuhe, 10 km from Butembo. The murder took place after fighting for a quantity of the mineral colombo-tantalite between Mai Mai and Ugandans.
November 30 2000
-The UN reported that 16 million Congolese people are suffering hardly from the war. Only half of the victims have been reached by humanitarian aid.
1.7 million people have died by the war and 2.3 million have fled their houses.
December 4 2000
-Rebel movement RED pretends to have reconquered the town of Pweto (North Katanga) on the lake of Mweru, 400 km northern of Lubumbashi.
-The world food organisation of the UN, FAO, has reserved the sum of $8 million for agriculture projects in Congo. This fund is destined for the acquisition of seeds, prevention of manioc diseases, road reconstruction in the province of Equateur and food aid for the inhabitants of Kinshasa.
-Congolese minister of Portefeuille, Likulia, has got credit promises from Belgium and France during his visit in these countries. The Belgian government is ready to spend 25 million BF to the Congolese state company ONATRA (the national transport office) and 75 million BF to the OCPT (the national post office).
December 6 2000
-The belligerents have signed in Harare (Zimbabwe) an agreement following the Maputo summit of 27 November. They have decided to the withdrawal of foreign troops at a distance of 15 km from the point that they occupied at the time of the Lusaka accord.
The withdrawal has to take place in 45 days. The rebels have also signed this agreement, except the MLC of Bemba.
-President Bongo of Gabon is ready to support the inter-Congolese dialogue. In the Gabon capital Libreville a meeting is being held bringing together Kabila representatives and mobutistes. The other parties in Congo don't join in this dialogue. Bongo works with the president of Congo-Brazzaville, Sassou Nguesso, at plans to bring the Congolese parties nearer to each other.
December 8 2000
-UN secretary-general Kofi Annan recommends a 6 month prolongation of the MONUC mandate. Annan points out to the UN Security Council that the resolution about the withdrawal from Kisangani is not being held by Uganda and Rwanda.
-50 000 Congolese refugees arrived in Zambia because of fighting near the Congolese town of Pweto.
-In South-Kivu at Makobola, 30km from Uvira, clashes take place between Mai Mai and rebel movement RCD-Goma.
December 9 2000
-The International Court has rejected the demand for the cancellation of the Belgian warrant against Yerodia Ndombasi. The Court says there is no urgency or damage for the Congolese state while Ndombasi is no longer minister of Foreign Affairs.
December 10 2000
-It is reported that RCD-Goma has given the exclusive rights to Rwanda for the exploitation of tantalite. The deal was made with a company called Great Lakes Mining Company (SOMIGL) in exchange for a monthly tax of $1 million.
December 11 2000
-Kabila has asked the civil society, the churches and politicians to join in the dialogue in Libreville. He calls these groups to present their proposals at the parliamentary commission for the inter-Congolese dialogue.
December 12 2000
-The association 'Journalistes au Danger' has published a report about the repression of journalists. 42 journalists have been arrested in Congo this year for shorter or longer time, whereby 40 in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi or Matadi and 2 in the occupied zones.
-The EU has warned Uganda to retire its troops from the Congo, otherwise there will follow economic sanctions by the EU member states.
December 13 2000
-An UN team has reported about the havocs in Kisangani by the armies of Uganda and Rwanda. It is also reported that these countries have laid landmines. The psychological trauma of the Congolese people is immeasurably grave along with the physical damage. Systematic violation of international humanitarian law and indiscrimate attacks on civilians have left residents highly traumatised. More than 760 people were killed, and a number of 12 500 is still living in camps around the city of Kisangani.
December 14 2000
-The UN agrees with the six month prolongation of the MONUC mandate and with the sending of 500 observers. They call on Uganda and Rwanda to leave the Congo.
-In Libreville a summit takes place of Central African leaders from Gabon, Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, CAR, Angola, Chad and Equatorial Guinea.
December 18 2000
-Congolese minister of Foreign Affairs, Okitundu, says in Brussels to agree with a double deployment of UN troops: at the front and at the frontiers of the countries that support the rebels.
-The rebels try to blockade two roads at the Zambian frontier important for the food supply of refugees. Fighting takes place near Pwete, which government troops reportedly have recaptured.
December 23 2000
-The leaders of Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia accuse Uganda and Rwanda to raise the war efforts. They call on these 2 countries to retire to the position of 6 December when "Maputo" was signed and to held to the appointments about further withdrawal.
December 26 2000
-De Standaard reports an intensive exploitation of mineral coltan in the remote mountains, forests and rivers in North- and South-Kivu. Coltan, consisting of colombite and tantalite, is being used in electronics, parts of atomic piles, super conductors etc. The rebels have given the monopoly of the coltan trade to SOMIGL. From Bukavu the mineral is transported by road to Kigali and Kampala and then by air to purchasers in Europe and America. Rwandan military helicopters are also transporting the mineral to Kigali. Rwanda denies any benefit of mineral exploitation in Congo. The National Park Kahuzi-Biega in Congo is being ploughed up by coltan seekers, what ruins the flora and fauna.
December 29 2000
-The UN Security Council has called up Uganda and Rwanda to withdraw their troops immediately. Their troops have restarted fighting on 2 of 3 fronts: in Equateur and in northern Katanga. The rebel movement MLC receives moreover support of the Angolan rebel movement UNITA, which is standing under UN sanctions.
January 11 2001
- Kabila has organised a meeting between the president of Burundi, Pierre Buyoya, and the leader of the Burundian FDD rebels leader, Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, in Libreville (Gabon).
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