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Conflict and transition (1996 – present)
First Congo War, Second Congo War, Ituri Conflict, and Transitional
Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Since 1994, the Congo has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off
by a massive inflow of refugees fleeing the Rwandan Genocide. The government of
Mobutu Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila in May
1997; he changed the country's name back to Democratic Republic of The
Congo-Kinshasa (the capital of Congo/Zaire). His former allies soon turned
against him, however, and his regime was challenged by a Rwandan and
Ugandan-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia,
Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the new regime in Kinshasa. See Foreign
relations of Congo and First Congo War.
UN peacekeepers to the DRC in 2005A cease-fire was signed on July 10, 1999;
nevertheless, fighting continued apace especially in the eastern part of the
country, financed by revenues from the illegal extraction of minerals such as
coltan, cassiterite and diamonds. Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and
his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state. The new president quickly began
overtures to end the war and an accord was signed in South Africa in 2002. By
late 2003, a fragile peace prevailed as the Transitional Government was formed.
Kabila appointed four vice presidents, two of whom had been fighting to oust him
until July 2003. Much of the east of the country remains insecure, primarily due
to the Ituri conflict and the continued activity of the Democratic Forces for
the Liberation of Rwanda in the Kivus.
This period of conflict has been the bloodiest in history since World War II.
Almost four million people have died as a result of the fighting. The United
Nations is concerned that 1000 people a day are still dying as a result of the
conflict and have described 2006 as a "make or break point" for the continuing
humanitarian crisis.
On July 30, 2006, the Congo held its first multi-party elections since
independence in 1960. After this Joseph Kabila took 45% of the votes and his
main opponent Jean-Pierre Bemba took 20%. That was the origin of a two-day fight
between the two factions from August 20, 2006 in the streets of the capital,
Kinshasa. Sixteen people died before police and the UN mission, MONUC, took
control of the city.
A second round of elections between the two leading candidates, Kabila and Bemba,
was held on 29 October, 2006. Rioters destroyed polling stations in Congo's east
and electoral officials organized a revolt over burned ballots in the north.
Despite that, the presidential vote was called a success. Both Kabila and Bemba
assured that they would respect the result, but Bemba's militants have begun
riots in opposition of the decision by the Supreme Court that will legitimise
Kabila's 58%-42% winning result on the run-off. Bemba has argued for his
supporters to stop fighting the government and vowed to take his seat as an
official opposition leader.
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