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First Congo War

For the 1993–1994 war in the Republic of the Congo, see First Republic of the Congo Civil War.
For the role of Africa in World War I, see African theatre of World War I.

First Congo War
Part of the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, spillover of the Burundian Civil War, and the Second Sudanese Civil War

Map showing the AFDL offensive
Date24 October 1996 – 16 May 1997
(6 months, 3 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Zaire, with spillovers into Uganda and Sudan[5]
Result

Decisive AFDL victory

Belligerents

 Zaire

 Sudan[1]
 Chad[2]
Rwanda Ex-FAR/ALiR
Interahamwe
CNDD-FDD[3]
UNITA[4]
ADF[5]
FLNC[6]
Supported by:
 France[7][8]
 Central African Republic[8]
 China[9]
 Israel[9]
 Kuwait (denied)[9]

Mai-Mai[a]

Democratic Republic of the Congo AFDL
 Rwanda
 Uganda[13]
 Burundi[14]
 Angola[14]
South Sudan SPLA[1]
 Eritrea[15]
Supported by:
 South Africa[16]
 Zambia[17]
 Zimbabwe[16]
 Ethiopia[18]
 Tanzania[19]
 United States (covertly)[20]

Mai-Mai[a]
Commanders and leaders
Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko
Zaire Donatien Mahele Lieko Bokungu Executed
Zaire Christian Tavernier
Sudan Omar al-Bashir
Jonas Savimbi
Rwanda Paul Rwarakabije
Robert Kajuga
Rwanda Tharcisse Renzaho		 Democratic Republic of the Congo Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Democratic Republic of the Congo André Kisase Ngandu †
Rwanda Paul Kagame
Rwanda James Kabarebe
Uganda Yoweri Museveni
Burundi Pierre Buyoya
Angola José Eduardo dos Santos
Strength
Zaire: c. 50,000[b]
Interahamwe: 40,000–100,000 total[22]
UNITA: c. 1,000[22]–2,000[6]

AFDL: 57,000[23]

Rwanda: 3,500–4,000[23][25]
Angola: 3,000+[25]
Eritrea: 1 battalion[26]
Casualties and losses
10,000–15,000 killed
10,000 defected[25]
thousands surrender		 3,000–5,000 killed
222,000 refugees missing[27]
Total: 250,000 dead[28]

The First Congo War,[c] also known as Africa's First World War,[29] was a civil and international military conflict that lasted from 24 October 1996 to 16 May 1997, primarily taking place in Zaire (which was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the conflict). The war resulted in the overthrow of Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko, who was replaced by rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila. This conflict, which also involved multiple neighboring countries, set the stage for the Second Congo War (1998–2003) due to tensions between Kabila and his former allies.

By 1996, Zaire was in a state of political and economic collapse, exacerbated by long-standing internal strife and the destabilizing effects of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which had led to the influx of refugees and militant groups into the country. The Zairean government under Mobutu, weakened by years of dictatorship and corruption, was unable to maintain control,[30][31] and the army had deteriorated significantly.[32][21] With Mobutu terminally ill and unable to manage his fractured government, loyalty to his regime waned. The end of the Cold War further reduced Mobutu's international support, leaving his regime politically and financially bankrupt.[33][20]

The war began when Rwanda invaded eastern Zaire in 1996 to target rebel groups that had sought refuge there. This invasion expanded as Uganda, Burundi, Angola, and Eritrea joined, while an anti-Mobutu coalition of Congolese rebels formed.[30] Despite efforts to resist, Mobutu's regime quickly collapsed,[34] with widespread violence and ethnic killings occurring throughout the conflict.[35] Hundreds of thousands died as the government forces, supported by Sudanese militias, were overwhelmed.

After Mobutu's ousting, Kabila's government renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, his regime remained unstable, as he sought to distance himself from his former Rwandan and Ugandan backers. In response, Kabila expelled foreign troops and forged alliances with regional powers such as Angola, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.[36] These actions prompted a second invasion from Rwanda and Uganda, triggering the Second Congo War in 1998. Some historians and analysts view the First and Second Congo Wars as part of a continuous conflict with lasting effects that continue to affect the region today.[37][38]

  1. ^ a b Prunier (2004), pp. 376–377.
  2. ^ Toïngar, Ésaïe (2014). Idriss Deby and the Darfur Conflict. p. 119. In 1996, President Mobutu of Zaire requested that mercenaries be sent from Chad to help defend his government from rebel forces led by Lauren Desiré Kabila. ... When a number of the troops were ambushed by Kabila and killed in defense of Mobutu's government, Mobutu paid Déby a fee in honor of their service.
  3. ^ Prunier (2009), pp. 116–118.
  4. ^ Duke, Lynne (20 May 1997). "Congo Begins Process of Rebuilding Nation". The Washington Post. p. A10. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Guerrillas of Angola's former rebel movement UNITA, long supported by Mobutu in an unsuccessful war against Angola's government, also fought for Mobutu against Kabila's forces.
  5. ^ a b Prunier (2004), pp. 375–377.
  6. ^ a b Reyntjens 2009, pp. 112–113.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference france was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CAR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Reyntjens 2009, pp. 112.
  10. ^ Prunier (2009), pp. 117, 130, 143.
  11. ^ Prunier (2009), p. 130.
  12. ^ Prunier (2009), p. 143.
  13. ^ Prunier (2004), pp. 375–376.
  14. ^ a b Duke, Lynne (15 April 1997). "Passive Protest Stops Zaire's Capital Cold". The Washington Post. p. A14. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Kabila's forces – which are indeed backed by Rwanda, Angola, Uganda and Burundi, diplomats say – are slowly advancing toward the capital from the eastern half of the country, where they have captured all the regions that produce Zaire's diamonds, gold, copper and cobalt.
  15. ^ Plaut (2016), pp. 54–55.
  16. ^ a b "Consensual Democracy" in Post-genocide Rwanda. International Crisis Group. 2001. p. 8. In that first struggle in the Congo, Rwanda, allied with Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Burundi, had brought Laurent Désiré Kabila to power in Kinshasa
  17. ^ Reyntjens 2009, pp. 65–66.
  18. ^ Usanov, Artur (2013). Coltan, Congo and Conflict. Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. p. 36.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference nyerere was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ a b Prunier (2009), pp. 118, 126–127.
  21. ^ a b c Prunier (2009), p. 128.
  22. ^ a b c Thom, William G. (1999). "Congo-Zaire's 1996–97 Civil War in the Context of Evolving Patterns of Military Conflict in Africa in the Era of Independence". Journal of Conflict Studies. 19 (2).
  23. ^ a b This number was self-declared and was not independently verified. Johnson, Dominic: Kongo — Kriege, Korruption und die Kunst des Überlebens, Brandes & Apsel, Frankfurt am Main, 2. Auflage 2009 ISBN 978-3-86099-743-7
  24. ^ Prunier (2004), p. 251.
  25. ^ a b c Abbott (2014), p. 35.
  26. ^ Plaut (2016), p. 55.
  27. ^ CDI: The Center for Defense Information, The Defense Monitor, "The World At War: January 1, 1998".
  28. ^ "Democratic Republic of Congo: War against unarmed civilians". Amnesty International. AFR 62/036/1998. 23 November 1998.
  29. ^ Prunier (2009), p. 72.
  30. ^ a b Abbott (2014), pp. 33–35.
  31. ^ Prunier (2009), pp. 77, 83.
  32. ^ Abbott (2014), pp. 23–24, 33.
  33. ^ Abbott (2014), pp. 23–24, 33–35.
  34. ^ Abbott (2014), pp. 34–35.
  35. ^ Prunier (2009), pp. 143–148.
  36. ^ Abbott (2014), pp. 36–39.
  37. ^ Reyntjens 2009, p. 194.
  38. ^ "DISARMAMENT: SADC Moves into Unknown Territory". 19 August 1998. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.


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First Congo War

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