In 1960 the Congo declared independence from Belgium which launched a five year long war in the Congo, creating break away states like Chatango and other communist countries. Five years later it was Mobutu who was backed by the UN that took power, stabilizing the economy and spreading his nationalist dreams.Over time this would change. Over the course of almost 20 years after Mobutu's ideas had plunged the country into economic crisis and corruption. Once the Soviet Union collapsed in 1981 the UN started to decrease their support of the county. The begging of the first Congo war started from Immigrants of the Tutsis in the east of Rwanda. They caused ethnic tensions between those who followed Mobutu and the Hutus, who committed genocide in the early 1990s.
In 1994 the Tutsis took power over Rwanda, which led hundreds of Hutus to flee to neighboring countries starting the Great Lakes Refugee crisis. Many of these Hutus were well armed and began fighting with the Tutsis in Zaire. Tutsis soon joined forces with Kabila who came back to Zaire to fight the Hutus forming the AFDL. In 1996 the Tutsi militia and the AFDL engaged the hutus forces starting the fighting the the first Congo war. After taking most of the land Kabila overthrew Mobutu placing himself as president and ending ties with Rwanda and Uganda, which caused an outrage and an invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Second Congo war. Only after a few months the invasion involved more the nine african countries and over 20 organized rebel groups. In 1997, after Kabila became president he created the Congolese Army who he appointed key roles for the officers and soldiers who fought in the rebellion. His aim was set on Rwanda troops, he commissioned all foreign troops to leave the Congo. There were a number of factors that launched an invasion of the Congo from the Rwandans but the most prominent was the violence towards the Tutsis in the East of the Congo. Rwanda had its eyes curiously looking towards the East of the Congo. Instead of invading they armed and advised rebel groups to take over. The Rwandans wanted to see the end of Kabila and planned to attack the capital. But Kabila had the help of foreign countries like Zimbabwe and Angola. In the end the Rwandans were stopped and the profiteering began. https://www.thoughtco.com/second-congo-war-43698 |