Other major events
68-743: The Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement attempted to end the Second Congo War through a ceasefire , release of prisoners of war , and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force under the auspices of the United Nations . The heads of state of Angola , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Namibia , Rwanda , Uganda , Zambia , and Zimbabwe signed the agreement in Lusaka , Zambia on July 10, 1999. Representatives from
136-630: A Lebanese diamond dealer allegedly organised the logistics of the organisation. Others have speculated that the Angolans (due to Kabila's complicity in helping the Angolan rebel group UNITA channel funds through the DRC) or even the Americans were involved in the assassination. There is, as yet, no proof that Mizele or the kadogos were acting under orders from an external source. By unanimous vote of
204-642: A few months after the signing of the Sun City Agreement, things had stagnated as the delegates to the Intra-Congolese Dialogue kept debating in Pretoria about how to turn the piece of paper they had signed into some kind of reality. On April 1, 2003, they finally adopted the draft constitution which had been presented to them on March 6, and they agreed upon the outline of a transitional government. On April 7, 2003, Joseph Kabila
272-695: A government offensive in Equateur Province along the Ubangi River was repulsed near Libenge by MLC forces. Military operations and diplomatic efforts made by the UN, African Union and Southern African Development Community failed to make any headway. On 16 January 2001, Laurent-Désiré Kabila was shot and killed at the Palais de Marbre in Kinshasa. The government initially stated that Kabila
340-554: A message urging resistance from a radio station in Bunia in eastern Congo: "People must bring a machete, a spear, an arrow, a hoe, spades, rakes, nails, truncheons, electric irons, barbed wire, stones, and the like, in order, dear listeners, to kill the Rwandan Tutsis." The Rwandan government also challenged current borders by claiming a substantial part of eastern Congo as "historically Rwandan". The Rwandans alleged that Kabila
408-625: A plan for transitional governance that would have result in legislative and presidential election within two years of its signing and marked the formal end of the Second Congo War. At the end of 2002 through January 2003, around 60,000 Pygmy civilians and 10,000 combatants were killed in an extermination campaign known as " Effacer le tableau " by the Movement for the Liberation of Congo . Human rights activists have made demands for
476-532: A year after the First Congo War . The war initially erupted when Congolese president Laurent-Désiré Kabila turned against his former allies from Rwanda and Uganda , who had helped him seize power. Eventually, the conflict expanded, drawing in nine African nations and approximately 25 armed groups, making it one of the largest wars in African history. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2002, and
544-483: Is relatively well-established, there have been some attempts to argue that they were under the influence of external actors who sought to overthrow Kabila. Some Congolese officials attempted to implicate their principal enemies by alleging that the Rwandans masterminded the operation. Some observers have lent credibility to these allegations, including Al-Jazeera 's documentary, " Murder in Kinshasa ", which alleges that
612-646: The Great Lakes region of Africa. Kabila himself had credibility as a long-time political opponent of Mobutu, and had been a follower of Patrice Lumumba (the first prime minister of the independent Congo), who was executed by a combination of internal and external forces in January 1961, and was ultimately replaced by Mobutu in 1965. Kabila had declared himself a Marxist and an admirer of Mao Zedong . He had been waging armed rebellion in eastern Zaire for more than three decades, though Che Guevara in his account of
680-558: The International Crisis Group has reported, these have gradually been reduced. A high level of official corruption siphoning money away from civil servants, soldiers and infrastructure projects causes further instability. On 30 July 2006 the first elections were held in the DRC after the populace approved a new constitution. A second round was held on 30 October. Robert Mugabe 's administration dispatched elements of
748-440: The International Crisis Group , the fighting was a result of differences over the objectives and strategies used during the war. In November government-controlled television in Kinshasa claimed that Kabila's army had been rebuilt and was now prepared to fulfil its "mission to liberate" the country. Rwandan-supported rebel forces launched a major offensive and approached Kinshasa but were eventually repelled. By 24 February 2000,
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#1732772482069816-752: The International Red Cross the task of assisting the wounded in clause 9. Clause 11 requested the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force in accordance with Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter . The document also requested that the OAU establish a temporary peacekeeping force to combat militant groups until the UN force arrived. Mwesiga Laurent Baregu and Chris Landsberg of the International Peace Academy criticized this provision in 2003, saying
884-515: The Kivus . The Tutsi-led Rwandan government allied with Uganda, and Burundi also retaliated, occupying a portion of northeastern Congo. To help remove the occupying Rwandans, President Kabila enlisted the aid of refugee Hutu in eastern Congo and began to agitate public opinion against the Tutsi, resulting in several public lynchings in the streets of Kinshasa. On 12 August a loyalist army major broadcast
952-616: The Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement was signed by the six warring countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Uganda) and, on 1 August, the MLC (the RCD refused to sign until 31 August). Under the terms of the agreement, forces from all sides, under a Joint Military Commission, would co-operate in tracking, disarming and documenting all armed groups in the Congo, especially those forces identified with
1020-672: The Southern African Development Community (SADC). While officially the SADC members are bound to a mutual defence treaty in the case of outside aggression, many member nations took a neutral stance to the conflict. However, the governments of Namibia , Zimbabwe and Angola supported the Kabila government after a meeting in Harare , Zimbabwe, on 19 August. Several more nations joined the conflict for Kabila in
1088-469: The Southern African Development Community , Organization of African Unity , and the United Nations met in Lusaka and drafted the ceasefire agreement from June 21–27, 1999. Defense and Foreign Ministers of the parties to the conflict then met from June 29 to July 7 to discuss the agreement. Zambian President Frederick Chiluba played a major role in the signing of the agreement in his role as Chairman of
1156-571: The Tutsi -dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The Tutsi -dominated RPF government of Rwanda, which had gained power in July 1994, protested this violation of Rwandan territorial integrity, and began to arm the ethnically Tutsi Banyamulenge of eastern Zaire. The Mobutu regime of Zaire vigorously denounced this intervention, but possessed neither
1224-631: The Uganda People's Defense Force and the Rwandan Patriotic Army clashed in Kisangani on the morning of 7 August. Fighting broke out again between the two armies on the evening of 14 August; fighting occurred throughout much of Kisangani, including in the airport and on major roads. The conflict lasted until 17 August, when a ceasefire was called that day. Both sides used heavy weapons during these clashes. As reported by
1292-553: The Zimbabwe National Army to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998. Mugabe, perhaps the most ardent supporter of intervention on Kabila's behalf, was the only major player involved in the conflict able to marshal a reasonably modern and experienced air force. Zimbabwe's military was also regarded as being one of the more well-equipped and professional of the region; being the decisive factor in
1360-492: The 1994 Rwandan genocide. Few provisions, however, were made to actually disarm the militias. The United Nations Security Council deployed about 90 liaison personnel in August 1999 to support the ceasefire . However, in the following months all sides accused the others of repeatedly breaking the cease-fire, and it became clear that small incidents could trigger attacks. Tensions between Uganda and Rwanda escalated as units of
1428-593: The Banyamulenge in Goma erupted into rebellion. Rwanda offered them immediate assistance, and early in August a well-armed rebel group, the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD)—composed primarily of Banyamulenge and backed by Rwanda and Uganda—emerged. This group quickly came to dominate the resource-rich eastern provinces, and based its operations in Goma. The RCD quickly took control of the towns of Bukavu and Uvira in
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#17327724820691496-649: The Congo. The other was the rounding up of the ex-Rwandan soldiers and the dismantling of the Hutu militia known as Interahamwe , which took part in Rwanda's 1994 genocide and continues to operate out of eastern Congo. Rwanda had previously refused to withdraw until the Hutu militias were dealt with. Signed on 6 September, the Luanda Agreement formalised peace between Congo and Uganda. The treaty aimed to get Uganda to withdraw its troops from Bunia and to improve
1564-569: The Congolese parliament, his son, Joseph Kabila , was sworn in as president to replace him. That he won the election was largely due to Robert Mugabe's backing, and the fact that most parliamentarians had been handpicked by the elder Kabila. In February, the new president met Rwandan President Paul Kagame in the United States. Rwanda, Uganda , and the rebels agreed to a UN pullout plan. Uganda and Rwanda began pulling troops back from
1632-468: The DRC's two-year transitional government took the oath of office in Kinshasa, but a day later on July 18, transitional government officials designated by the RCD-Goma and the MLC refused to take the oath of office because it included swearing allegiance to President Joseph Kabila. Over the course of September, a reinforced MONUC presence carried out the "Bunia, weapon-free zone" operation to demilitarize
1700-444: The Kinshasa government surrender. The rebels took Kasenga on 27 March 1997. The government denied the rebels' success, starting a long pattern of false statements from the defense minister on the progress and conduct of the war. Negotiations were proposed in late March, and on 2 April a new Prime Minister of Zaire , Étienne Tshisekedi —a longtime rival of Mobutu—was installed. Kabila, by this point in control of roughly one-quarter of
1768-680: The Liberation of Congo ( ADFLC ) had committed massacres, and that the advancing army had killed as many as 60,000 civilians, a claim the ADFLC strenuously denied. Roberto Garreton stated that his investigation in the town of Goma turned up allegations of disappearances, torture, and killings. He quoted Moïse Nyarugabo [ fr ] , an aide to Mobutu, as saying that killings and disappearances should be expected in wartime. Kabila's forces, with support of Rwanda, launched an offensive in earlier October 1996 in South Kivu, and demanded that
1836-558: The OAU had been overwhelmed and the SADC was better equipped to handle the burden. The United Nations Secretary General issued a report recommending the deployment of an observer mission in the DRC on July 15, 1999. The United States State Department announced its support for a peace mission on July 23. The MLC signed the agreement on August 1. Five days later the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1258 deploying military liaison personnel to
1904-475: The RCD about the dominance of the Banyamulenge reached a boiling point when RCD leader Ernest Wamba dia Wamba moved his base from Goma to Uganda-controlled Kisangani to head a breakaway faction known as RCD-Kisangani, which later became The Forces for Renewal . A further sign of a break occurred when President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Kabila signed a ceasefire accord on 18 April in Sirte , Libya , following
1972-406: The RCD rebels for security reasons, apparently after a request by Nelson Mandela to advance peace talks. On 18 January 1999, Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe agreed on a ceasefire at a summit at Windhoek , Namibia but the RCD was not invited. Fighting thus continued. Outside of Africa, most states remained neutral, but urged an end to the violence. On 5 April 1999, tensions within
2040-566: The Regional Initiative for Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The parties agreed to halt all military operations within 24 hours of signing the agreement in Article I, clause 2, section c. Article I prohibited further military movement or the transfer of armaments to the battlefield and called on all nations to respect human rights and protect civilians. Article III released all prisoners of war in clause 8 and gave
2108-664: The UN authorised a force of 5,537 troops, the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known by the French acronym , MONUC ), to monitor the cease-fire. However, fighting continued between rebels and government forces and between Rwandan and Ugandan forces. Numerous clashes and offensives occurred throughout the country, most notably heavy fighting between Uganda and Rwanda in Kisangani in May and June 2000. On 9 August 2000
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2176-906: The Zimbabwean military withdrew from the DRC in October 2002, but in June 2006 reporters said a 50-man force had stayed in the DRC to protect Kabila. On 17 December 2002, the Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue (the national government, the MLC, the RCD, the RCD-ML, the RCD-N, the domestic political opposition, representatives of civil society and the Mai Mai) signed the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement. The agreement described
2244-520: The [Lusaka] accord called for the government's democratic transition and that was a threat to his power." In April 2001, a UN panel of experts investigated the illegal exploitation of diamonds, cobalt , coltan , gold and other lucrative resources in the Congo. The report accused Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe of systematically exploiting Congolese resources and recommended the Security Council impose sanctions . In 2002, Rwanda's situation in
2312-613: The army, which weakened the effectiveness of the agreement. There were several reported breaches of the Sun City agreement, but it has seen a reduction in the fighting. On 30 July 2002, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace deal known as the Pretoria Accord after five days of talks in Pretoria , South Africa. The talks centered on two issues. One was the withdrawal of the estimated 20,000 Rwandan soldiers in
2380-639: The capital rankled many Congolese, who began to see Kabila as a pawn of foreign powers. Tensions reached new heights on 14 July 1998, when Kabila dismissed his Rwandan chief of staff James Kabarebe , and replaced him with a native Congolese, Célestin Kifwa . Although the move chilled what was already a troubled relationship with Rwanda, Kabila softened the blow by making Kabarebe the military adviser to his successor. Two weeks later, Kabila chose to abandon his previous decision. He thanked Rwanda for its help, and ordered all Rwandan and Ugandan military forces to leave
2448-647: The capitals of the signatories of the Ceasefire Agreement and established a Joint Military Commission to oversee its implementation. The Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) rebel group signed the agreement on August 31. The Security Council established the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) in Resolution 1273 , passed on November 5, to January 15, 2000. Resolution 1279 , passed on November 30, extended
2516-514: The combined RCD, Rwandan and rebel soldiers overwhelmed government forces amid a flurry of ineffectual diplomatic efforts by various African nations. By 13 August, less than two weeks after the revolt had begun, rebels held the Inga hydroelectric station that provided power to Kinshasa as well as the port of Matadi through which most of Kinshasa's food passed. The diamond center of Kisangani fell into rebel hands on 23 August and forces advancing from
2584-503: The country and a delay in the scheduled national elections from June 2005 to July 2006. The main cause for the continued weakness of the Transitional Government is the refusal by the former warring parties to give up power to a centralised and neutral national administration. Some belligerents maintained administrative and military command-and-control structures separate from that of the Transitional Government, but as
2652-655: The country and died in exile in Morocco four months later. Kabila proclaimed himself president on 17 May 1997; he immediately ordered a violent crackdown to restore order, and began an attempt at reorganisation of the nation. When Kabila gained control of the capital in May 1997, he faced substantial obstacles to governing the country, which he renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from Zaïre . Beyond political jostling among various groups to gain power and an enormous external debt, his foreign backers proved unwilling to leave when asked. The conspicuous Rwandan presence in
2720-416: The country, dismissed this as irrelevant and warned Tshisekedi that he would have no part in a new government if he accepted the post. The ADFLC made consistent progress in its advance from the east throughout April 1997, and by May its troops had reached the outskirts of Kinshasa . Mobutu fled Kinshasa on 16 May, and the "libérateurs" (liberators) entered the capital without serious resistance. Mobutu fled
2788-479: The country. Within 24 hours, Rwandan military advisers living in Kinshasa were unceremoniously flown out. The people most alarmed by this order were the Banyamulenge Tutsi of eastern Congo. Their tensions with neighboring ethnic groups had been a contributing factor in the genesis of the First Congo War and they were also used by Rwanda to affect events across the border in the DRC. On 2 August 1998,
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2856-541: The deadliest conflict since World War II , according to a 2008 report by the International Rescue Committee . However, this figure has been disputed, with some researchers arguing that many of the deaths may have occurred regardless of the war and that the actual death toll was closer to 3 million. The conflict also displaced approximately 2 million people, forcing them to flee their homes or seek asylum in neighboring countries. Additionally,
2924-525: The early years of the conflict portrayed him as an uncommitted and uninspiring leader . Kabila's army began a slow movement west in December 1996, near the end of the Great Lakes refugee crisis , taking control of border towns and mines and solidifying control. There were reports of massacres and of brutal repression by the rebel army. A UN human-rights investigator published statements from witnesses claiming that Kabila's Alliance of Democratic Forces for
2992-418: The east had begun to threaten Kinshasa by late August. Uganda, while retaining joint support of the RCD with Rwanda, also created a rebel group that it supported exclusively, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC). Despite the movement of the front lines, fighting continued throughout the country. Even as rebel forces advanced on Kinshasa, government forces continued to battle for control of towns in
3060-482: The east of the country. The Hutu militants with whom Kabila was co-operating were also a significant force in the east. Nevertheless, the fall of the capital and of Kabila, who had spent the previous weeks desperately seeking support from various African nations and Cuba , seemed increasingly certain. The rebel offensive was abruptly reversed as Kabila's diplomatic efforts bore fruit. The first African countries to respond to Kabila's request for help were fellow members of
3128-427: The following weeks: Chad , Libya and Sudan . A multisided war thus began. In September 1998, Zimbabwean forces flown into Kinshasa held off a rebel advance that reached the outskirts of the capital, while Angolan units attacked northward from its borders and eastward from the Angolan territory of Cabinda , against the besieging rebel forces. This intervention by various nations saved the Kabila government and pushed
3196-564: The front line. Joseph Kabila has been described as "a more adept political leader than his father". As Chris Talbot notes, an article in The Washington Post "favourably contrasted Joseph Kabila – Western-educated and English-speaking – with his father." The author of the Washington Post article writes that Joseph Kabila gave diplomats "hope that things have changed", in contrast to Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who "stood as
3264-407: The government announced on state television that the desperate attempt by Zimbabwean medical personnel to save Kabila had failed and that Kabila had died from his wounds. His remains were returned for a state funeral on 26 January 2001. Shortly after the assassination, the French newspaper Le Monde published a story in which self-identified assassination plotters revealed documents and details of
3332-618: The government base of Kitona on the Atlantic coast. The planes landed in the middle of the Kitona base, but the motley collection of troops there (ex-FAZ, but also Angolan UNITA elements and former Pascal Lissouba militiamen from Brazzaville ) were in poor condition and in no condition to fight unless given food and weapons. They were quickly won over to the Rwandan side. More towns in the east and around Kitona fell in rapid succession, as
3400-406: The leadership of South Africa , peace talks held in that country between April and December 2002 led to the signing of a "comprehensive peace agreement." The Sun City Agreement was formalised on 19 April 2002. It was a framework for providing the Congo with a unified, multiparty government and democratic elections. However, critics noted that there were no stipulations regarding the unification of
3468-565: The major impediment to a peaceful settlement of the war launched in August 1998 to unseat him." A peace accord Laurent signed in the summer of 1999, the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement , "remained unfulfilled largely because he kept staging new offensives while blocking deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in government-held territory." To compare, according to an analyst from the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit , "The only obstruction had been Kabila because
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#17327724820693536-458: The mandate to March 1, 2000. Second Congo War Military stalemate Mai Mai: 20,000–30,000 militia RCD-Goma: 40,000 MLC: 20,000 RCD-ML: 8,000 Other major events The Second Congo War , also known as Africa's World War or the Great War of Africa , was a major conflict that began on 2 August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), just over
3604-485: The massacre to be recognized as a genocide . On 18 July 2003, the Transitional Government came into being as specified in the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement out of the warring parties. The agreement obliges the parties to carry out a plan to reunify the country, disarm and integrate the warring parties and hold elections. There were numerous problems, resulting in continued instability in much of
3672-440: The mediation of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi , but both the RCD and Rwanda refused to take part. On 16 May Wamba was ousted as head of the RCD in favour of a pro-Rwanda figure, Dr. Emile Ilunga . Seven days later the various factions of the RCD clashed over control of Kisangani. On 8 June rebel factions met to try to create a common front against Kabila. Despite these efforts, the occupying armed forces of Uganda recreated
3740-449: The military capability to halt it nor the political capital to attract international assistance. With active support from Uganda , Rwanda, and Angola , the Tutsi forces of Laurent-Désiré Kabila moved methodically down the Congo River , encountering only light resistance from the poorly trained, ill-disciplined forces of Mobutu 's crumbling regime. The bulk of Kabila's fighters were Tutsi, and many were veterans of various conflicts in
3808-444: The outcome of the war and exhibiting outstanding tactical proficiency. Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo was tasked with moving from the state riven by the Second Congo War (1998–2003) to a government based upon a constitution agreed on by consensus. In 2001, President Laurent Kabila was assassinated , and his son Joseph Kabila
3876-401: The plot to murder Kabila. The plotters were mainly kadogos who had been under Kabila's command since 1996, and were aggrieved over their poor treatment. The catalyst for the assassination appeared to be the execution of 47 kadogos accused of plotting against Kabila. The execution, witnessed by Kabila, took place the day before his assassination. While the role of the disgruntled kadogos
3944-400: The province of Ituri , based off of the province of Kibali-Ituri which previously existed from 1962 to 1966 in the Republic of the Congo. Perceived favoritism to the ethnic Hema by the Ugandan forces sparked the ethnic clash of the Ituri conflict , sometimes referred to as a "war within a war". Nevertheless, diplomatic circumstances contributed to the first ceasefire of the war. In July 1999
4012-448: The rebel front lines away from the capital. However, it was unable to defeat the rebel forces, and the advance threatened to escalate into direct conflict with the national armies of Uganda and Rwanda. In November 1998 a new Ugandan-backed rebel group, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo , was reported in the north of the country. On 6 November Rwandan President Paul Kagame admitted for the first time that Rwandan forces were assisting
4080-609: The relationship between the two countries, but implementation proved troublesome. Eleven days later, the first Rwandan soldiers were withdrawn from the eastern DRC. On 5 October Rwanda announced the completion of its withdrawal; MONUC confirmed the departure of over 20,000 Rwandan soldiers. On 21 October, the UN published its expert panel's report on the pillage of natural resources by armed groups. Both Rwanda and Uganda rejected accusations that senior political and military figures were involved in illicit trafficking of plundered resources. Zimbabwe Defense Minister Sydney Sekeramayi says
4148-427: The war began to worsen. Many members of the RCD either gave up fighting or decided to join Kabila's government. Moreover, the Banyamulenge , the backbone of Rwanda's militia forces, became increasingly tired of control from Kigali and the unending conflict. A number of them mutinied, leading to violent clashes between them and Rwandan forces. At the same time, the western Congo was becoming increasingly secure under
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#17327724820694216-454: The war officially ended on 18 July 2003 with the establishment of the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , violence has persisted in various regions, particularly in the east, through ongoing conflicts such as the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency and the Kivu and Ituri conflicts . The Second Congo War and its aftermath caused an estimated 5.4 million deaths, primarily due to disease and malnutrition, making it
4284-498: The war was heavily funded by the trade of conflict minerals , which continues to fuel violence in the region. The First Congo War began in 1996 as Rwanda increasingly expressed concern that Hutu members of Rassemblement Démocratique pour le Rwanda (RDR) militias were carrying out cross-border raids from what was then Zaire , and planning an invasion of Rwanda. The militias, mostly Hutu , had entrenched themselves in refugee camps in eastern Zaire, where many had fled to escape
4352-399: The younger Kabila. International aid was resumed as inflation was brought under control. In March, the RCD-Goma faction captured Moliro , a town located on the coast of Lake Tanganyika , from government forces. According to said faction, the town was shelled by government gunboats the following day in response. The capture was seen as a violation of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. Under
4420-399: Was named head of state. In July 2002, the Pretoria Accord was signed on withdrawal of foreign forces. In October 2002, Joseph Kabila negotiated the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo. Two months later, the 'Global and All-Inclusive Agreement' was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. Prunier writes: For
4488-405: Was organising a genocide against their Tutsi brethren in the Kivu region. The degree to which Rwandan intervention was motivated by a desire to protect the Banyamulenge, as opposed to using them as a smokescreen for its regional aspirations after ousting Mobutu, is still being debated. In a bold move, Rwandan soldiers under the command of James Kabarebe hijacked three planes and flew them to
4556-400: Was sworn in as transitional president. And on the next day, the last of the four agreed vice-presidents was named, Azarias Ruberwa for the RCD-G. He joined Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi for Kabila's government; Jean-Pierre Bemba for the MLC ; and Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma for the political opposition. The first cabinet was announced on July 1. On July 17 2003, the four vice-presidents of
4624-409: Was wounded but still alive when he was flown to Zimbabwe for intensive care. The circumstances of his assassination are unclear, and have been the subject of considerable rumours and disagreements. The consensus is that Kabila was shot by one of his bodyguards, the 18-year-old Rashidi Mizele , a kadogo (child soldier). Mizele had previously been misidentified as Rashidi Kasereka. Two days later
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