President Laurent-Désiré Kabila - Part II
- Kent Galloway
- Jun 16, 2019
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 21, 2023
In 1996, tensions from the neighboring Rwandan Civil War and genocide had spilled over into Zaire. Rwandan Hutu militia forces, who fled Rwanda, were using Hutu refugee camps in eastern Zaire as bases for incursion against Rwanda. These Hutu militia forces soon allied with the Zairian armed forces to launch a campaign against Congolese ethnic Tutsis in eastern Zaire. In turn, the Zairian Tutsis formed a militia to defend themselves against these attacks. The Zairian government began to escalate the massacres in November, 1996. The Tutsi militias erupted in rebellion against Mobutu. This started the First Congo War.
The Tutsi militia was soon joined by various opposition groups and was supported by Rwanda and Uganda. With the support of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, Kabila pushed his forces into a full scale rebellion against President Mobutu. His forces were called the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL). Kabila used children in the conflict and it is estimated that as many as 10,000 children served under him.
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