|
??1998 |
? |
| 2
August 1998 - |
RCD rebels launch
armed rebellion against DRC PresidentLaurent-Desiré Kabila.
Uganda and Rwanda back the rebels. The movement rapidly takes
control of much of eastern DRC. |
| November
1998 - |
UPDF establish a base in Bunia. |
| November
1998 - |
Another rebel movement, the MLC,
is formed in Equateur Province under Jean-Pierre Bemba with
Ugandan backing. |
| ? |
? |
|
??1999 |
? |
| April
1999 - |
Ernest Wamba dia
Wamba, the first president of the RCD, moves to Kisangani as
the movement starts a series of splits. |
| May 1999
- |
UPDF Col Anthony Kyakabale appointed
Bunia sector commander. |
| 16 May
1999 - |
A new RCD (Goma faction) leader
is named: Emile Ilunga. The Goma and Kisangani factions of the
RCD are associated with Rwanda and Uganda respectively. |
| May 1999
- |
Written threats from Lendu chiefs
from Pitsi demand that Hema ("visitors who are living here in
these hills") in the Blukwa area should vacate the land, illustrating
plans for premeditated "ethnic cleansing" motives in the earliest
stages of the conflict. |
| June
1999 - |
First clashes
between Lendu and Hema in the Djugu and Blukwa areas. Hema groups
are allegedly backed by Ugandan forces. A grim cycle of attacks
on villages, burning, looting and killing of civilians and subsequent
retaliatory attacks continues until the present. |
| 18
June 1999 - |
Adèle Lotsove,
a Hema, appointed governor of Ituri and Haut-Uele (two districts
in the vast Orientale Province) by Brig James Kazini of the
UPDF. She is later widely criticised for inflaming the situation
and partisan handling of subsequent peace talks. |
| June
1999 - |
Cholera outbreak
in Bunia |
| 5 July
1999 - |
Lotsove announces the formation
of the "province" of Kibali-Ituri. |
| 10 July
1999 - |
Lusaka ceasefire agreement signed
in Zambia by the six states involved in the conflict. The rebel
MLC signed on 1 August. RCD rebels sign later on 31 August. |
| 6
August 1999 - |
UN Security Council
authorises deployment of UN liaison personnel in support of
the Lusaka agreement. |
| July
- August 1999 - |
Local peace efforts,
including the Catholic Church and rebel administration, assemble
450 delegates. |
| 27-29
August 1999 - |
Rethy general
hospital attacked by UPDF and Hema militia. |
| 3 September
1999 - |
MSF reports outbreaks of measles,
cholera and plague, especially among 40,000 displaced. |
| 13 September
1999 - |
The Committee of Pacification formed
under Lotsove concluded that for the Lendu security would require
the replacement of some Ugandan soldiers, and the disarmament
of Hema militia and traders. Hemas demanded the dispersal of
"Lendu extremists who were hiding in the bush, training, and
being drugged, to attack the Hema and undermine efforts of reconciliation". |
| 14 September
1999 - |
Major attack by Lendu on Dhendro,
a Hema village. 416 Hema reported killed. |
| 18 September
1999 - |
Lendu and Alur community leaders
sign a non-aggression pact in Rethy. |
| September
1999 - |
The RCD-Kisangani faction is renamed
RCD-ML. Wamba is confirmed president with Bunia as his capital.
Mbusa Nyamwisi and Jacques Depelchin named prime minister and
local administration minister respectively. |
| September
1999 - |
Fighting reported between different
units of UPDF at Kwandruma. |
| 18
October 1999 - |
"Province" of
Ituri announced - splitting off the Haut-Uele district. |
| October
1999 - |
A UN assessment
mission declares the situation "catastrophic", estimating over
100,000 IDPs and scores of villages burned to the ground. Estimates
of deaths ranged from 5,000 to 7,000. |
| October
1999 - |
RCD-ML appointed
Depelchin to chair a Commission for Security and Peace. |
| 21
October 1999 - |
First mission
of UN liaison personnel to Bunia. |
| November
1999 - |
Divisions between Wamba and Nyamwisi
become more serious. Nyamwisi takes control of Beni. |
| 30 November
1999 - |
UN Security Council resolution 1279
establishes MONUC. |
| 1
December 1999 - |
Killings of Lendu
at Bambou - 300 deaths reported. |
| 13
December 1999 - |
Up to 150,000
people displaced by fighting in Ituri, according to ICRC. |
| December
1999 - |
Kyakabale of the
UPDF dismissed for "hiring out soldiers to Hema leaders", according
to Wamba. Replaced by UDPF Col Arosha. |
| 16
December 1999 - |
Wamba dismisses
Lotsove. Replaces with Ernest Urungi Padolo, an Alur. |
| 20
December 1999 - |
The Depelchin
commission publishes report and a draft treaty for the region. |
| December
1999 - |
The DRC human
rights organisation, ASADHO, in a report on Ituri, accuses Kyakabale
of massive human rights violations. |
| December
1999 - |
Former president
of Botswana, Ketumile Masire, appointed to serve as facilitator
of the ICD provided for in the Lusaka agreement. |
| ? |
? |
|
??2000 |
 |
| January
2000 - |
MSF reports 180,000 IDPs. Humanitarian
organisations attempt to gear up in a period of relative calm.
A nutritional survey indicates 9.1 percent acute malnutrition. |
| 24 January
2000 - |
MONUC announces first phase of deployment
of liaison officers to Bunia. |
| 27 January
2000 - |
A graphic video released by CBM
brings brief international attention to the crisis. The amateur
tape includes images of children being treated for deep machete
wounds on the face and neck, amputees, spear and arrow injuries,
corpses, mass graves, IDP encampments and burning villages. |
| 29 January
2000 - |
MSF-H suspends all operations in
Ituri. "There has been growing distrust among the population
towards MSF with regard to MSF's neutrality. This led to a violent
attack on an MSF team," a statement said. |
| February
2000 - |
A report by the
DRC human rights group, ASADHO, says the conflict was sparked
off in April 1999 when Hema landowner evicted Lendu farmers
from land adjoining his, with the support of the RCD-ML and
Ugandan authorities. ASADHO claims that Ugandan soldiers were
actively involved in the killing of Lendus. |
| February
2000 - |
Uganda defends
actions in Ituri, saying in a statement that it intends to "bolster
both the RCD forces and the Ugandan forces to restore law and
order, disarm the protagonists and curtail the inflow of arms". |
| 24
February 2000 - |
UN Security Council
expands MONUC in resolution 1291. |
| March
2000 - |
Wamba accuses UPDF commander Arosha
of arrogance and partiality to the Hema. |
| March
2000 - |
MONUC deploys liaison officers to
Bunia. |
| 24 March
2000 - |
Inter-agency assessment mission
finds humanitarian situation "close to catastrophic". |
| April
2000 - |
Serious splits
emerge between senior officials in the RCD-ML. Jean-Baptiste
Tibasima and Nyamwisi attempt to oust Wamba. The three temporarily
patched up differences in Kampala. |
| April
2000 - |
Ugandan authorities
recalled Arosha in April 2000 and named Col Charles Angina to
replace him. |
| 4-10
June 2000 - |
Heavy fighting between Ugandan and
Rwandan forces in Kisangani. |
| 27 June
2000 - |
Fighting between Wamba and Tibasima
militia. |
| July
2000 - |
Wamba says the
Hema-Lendu ethnic conflict in Ituri district "is behind us". |
| 14 August
2000 - |
Wamba attempts to sack RCD-ML rivals
Tibasima and Nyamwisi. |
| August
2000 - |
An upsurge in clashes is reported. |
| 5
November 2000 - |
UDPF again appoint
new sector commander - replacing Angina with Col Edson Muzoora. |
| 20
November 2000 - |
Divisions in RCD-ML
come to a head. Nyamwisi and Tibasima remove Wamba from power
in the "November Putsch". Uganda appears to give up protecting
Wamba. Splits in the RCD-ML meanwhile produce several militia
and two new factions: RCD-ML dissident Roger Lumbala started
a movement called RCD-Nationale, and in Beni, the governor,
Bwanakawa Nyonyi, set up the short-lived RCD-Populaire. |
| ? |
? |
|
??2001 |
|
| 6 January
2001 - |
Lendu-Ngiti militia attack Nyankunde
town. Population disperses. UDPF and Hema militia respond. The
attack led to reports of a coalition between former Zairean
soldiers (ex-FAZ), Mayi-Mayi militiamen and Lendu fighters who
previously had only spears and machetes as weapons. Clashes
continue in January, killing some 250 and displacing thousands. |
| January
2001 - |
The RCD-ML power struggle results
in Governor Uringi and Depelchin being expelled from Bunia during
the month. Wamba remains in Kampala. |
| 15 January
2001 - |
At least 3,500 mainly Hema people
seek refuge over the border in Uganda. |
| 16 January
2001- |
DRC President Laurent-Desiré Kabila
is shot dead. Joseph Kabila steps into his father's shoes. |
| 19-21
January 2001- |
Lendu-Ngiti militia attack Ugandan
positions near Bunia airport. Extreme violence erupts in Bunia
town. UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the DRC Roberto
Garreton reports that the Ugandan army "incited Hema militiamen
to carry out reprisals and pursue the Lendu and Ngiti militias".
The ICRC later reports that the local Red Cross buried more
than 200 people. |
| 16 January
2001 - |
A new rebel alliance, the FLC, is
formed, after weeks of talks in Kampala. It combines Bemba's
MLC and RCD-ML, as well as Lumbala's RCD-National. Bemba is
to lead the group while Nyamwisi is named vice-president and
Tibasima is mines and energy minister. Wamba rejects the deal. |
| February
2001 - |
A major peace
meeting is held. A peace pact is signed between Hema and Lendu
community leaders. Bemba, now the most senior rebel leader in
the region, states: "The militia will have to be disarmed and
dispersed." A follow-up commission is to monitor and move the
process forward. |
| 20
February 2001 - |
UN estimates 140,000
displaced in Ituri. |
| 27
February 2001 - |
Dual Hema and
Lendu deputy governors are appointed by the FLC. |
| March
2001 - |
Human Rights Watch publishes 50-page
report entitled Uganda in Eastern DRC: Fuelling Political and
Ethnic Strife, alleging that Ugandan soldiers had involved themselves
in the conflict and "have blatantly exploited Congolese wealth
for their own benefit and that of their superiors at home". |
| 29 March
2001 - |
Bemba announces an accord reached
with the Mayi-Mayi militia and arrangements for the demobilisation
of Uganda rebels of ADF and NALU. |
| 12
April 2001 - |
UN Panel of Experts
publishes first report on exploitation of resources in DRC,
concluding that the governments of Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi
were profiting from the conflict by looting gold and other precious
minerals, diamonds, timber, ivory and tax revenues. |
| 26
April 2001 - |
Six ICRC workers
- four Congolese, one Colombian and one Swiss - were killed
on the road between Djugu and Fataki. All international humanitarian
agencies halt activities. |
| 9 May
2001 - |
Col Mohammed Buli Bangolo, from
Equateur, appointed governor of Ituri by FLC. |
| 4
June 2001 - |
Fighting between
Bemba and Nyamwisi's troops in Beni. Nyamwisi's forces appear
to win. The FLC starts to disintegrate, and Nyamwisi and Bemba
part company by August, dividing territory into spheres of influence
in August. The Nyamwisi faction becomes known as RCD-Kisangani-ML,
as Wamba continues to claim legitimacy as leader of the original
RCD-ML. |
| 11
June 2001 - |
Uganda establishes
a judicial commission of inquiry, which later becomes known
as the Porter Commission, into allegations of exploitation in
the DRC. |
| 27
June 2001 - |
Humanitarian agencies
restart work. |
| 27
June 2001 - |
Nymawisi and the
RCD-National of Lumbala announce an alliance. Lumbala is named
as part of Nyamwisi's delegation to the ICD, but remains allied
to Bemba. |
| July
2001 - |
The UPC formed with Thomas Lubanga
as leader. Lotsove is reportedly a co-founder. The party only
comes to prominence a year later. |
| 18
August 2001 - |
Wamba's rump faction
of the RCD-ML ally themselves with Bemba's alliance, the FLC,
possibly to secure participation at the upcoming ICD. |
| 20-24
August 2001 - |
Preparatory meeting
for the ICD held in Botswana. |
| 21-24
August 2001 - |
Bloody clashes
between Bira and Ngiti communities. |
| 15 October
2001 - |
First, abortive, meeting of the
ICD in Addis Ababa. |
| November
2001 - |
New UPDF commander:
Col Freddy Segamwenge. |
| 10
November 2001 - |
Attacks on Bira
villages carried out by an alliance between Ugandan ADF rebels
and Ngiti fighters. |
| 11
November 2001 - |
The RCD-K-ML sets
up as a separate party under Nyamwisi with Tibasima as vice-president. |
| 21
November 2001 - |
Bemba's MLC withdraws
troops from Bunia, citing "confusion" in the RCD-ML and RCD-K-ML. |
| December
2001 - |
The RCD-K-ML attempts to broaden
its base by including Thomas Lubanga as minister of defence
and bringing back Wamba and Uringi. |
| December
2001 - |
New governor of Orientale Province
appointed - Joseph Eneku, from Aru. |
| ? |
? |
|
??2002 |
|
| January
2002 - |
Bemba and Lumbala
make territorial gains against the RCD-K-ML, taking Isiro, Watsa
and Bafwasende |
| January
2002 - |
Clashes reported
for the first time between Alur and Lendu in Nioka, to the north
of Bunia. Ugandan media report 50 deaths. The Alur and Lendu
had previously been regarded as not hostile. |
| 1 February
2002 - |
Ugandan Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi
remarked that the situation in Bunia was explosive and called
on the UN to send troops to take control of the area. |
| February
2002 - |
A new governor of Ituri appointed
by Nyamwisi: Jean-Pierre Mulondo Lonpondo from Kasai. Lubanga
becomes sidelined from the military control of the RCD-K-ML. |
| 19
April 2002 - |
ICD Sun City peace
meetings adjourn after reaching wide agreement, but defer key
terms on power-sharing. Both Wamba and Nyamwisi attend as RCD-ML.
Lubanga starts to split from RCD-K-ML. |
| 19 May
2002 - |
Delegation from Kinshasa visits
Ituri, including interior minister and human rights minister.
Human Rights Minister Ntumba Lwamba said three years of fighting
had led to 20,000 deaths. |
| May 2002
- |
Humanitarian agencies estimate 500,000
people are displaced in Ituri. |
| 12
June 2002 - |
Former prime minister
of Senegal, Moustapha Niasse, appointed UN Special Envoy to
help push the ICD forward. |
| 7
June 2002 - |
Lendu militia
attack Hema militia training camp at Mandro and claim to have
killed Rwandan trainers. |
| 10
June 2002 - |
Heritage Oil Corporation
announces it has signed an agreement with the DRC government
to explore oil opportunities in a vast 3.1 ha swathe of northeastern
DRC including eastern Ituri. |
| 13
June 2002 - |
Lubanga and others
arrested while on mission to Kinshasa. |
| early
July - |
Scores of people have died in fighting
in Bunia between the RCD-K-ML and a militia supporting Lubanga.
UPDF allegedly back Lubanga. |
| 30
July 2002 - |
Peace accord between
Rwanda and DRC signed in Pretoria. |
| 6-9
August 2002 - |
Bloody fighting
in Bunia. Hema militias, supported by the UPDF and the UPC,
attack an RCD-K-ML training camp holding mainly Lendu and Ngiti
recruits, and seize control of the town. Both sides perpetrate
widespread killings of civilians. MONUC reports 110 deaths in
the fighting. |
| 29
August - 1 September - |
Kinshasa Human
Rights Minister Ntumba Lwamba, accompanied by Lubanga, visits
Bunia to bolster peace talks under way in Kinshasa. He is taken
hostage by Chief Kahwa in Mandro. The kidnapping was resolved
with the release of Lubanga from Kinshasa's custody. Community
leaders at the Kinshasa peace talks demand the departure of
the Ugandans and their replacement by a police force. Ntumba
Lwamba alleges Rwanda is moving forces into Ituri in preparation
for the departure of the UPDF. |
| 3 September
2002 - |
Lubanga named as UPC president,
Lotsove as finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Dhetchuvi as foreign
minister and Eneku as governor. |
| 6 September
2002 - |
Luanda accord signed between Uganda
and DRC. A 100-day timetable is set for UPDF withdrawal after
the establishment of an Ituri Pacification Committee. |
| 5 September
2002 - |
APC and Ngiti militia attack Nyankunde,
about 20 km west of Bunia. The attackers killed mainly Hema
ethnic group and others said to have collaborated with them.
They killed patients in their hospital beds, medical personnel
of the Nyankunde hospital. About 200 were killed in this attack
and another several weeks earlier carried out by the UPC against
RCD-K-ML supporters and the Ngiti. |
| 15
October - |
The second UN
report on the illegal exploitation of DRC's resources adds more
damning accusations against Uganda and the "elite networks"
behind the plunder. The UPDF "continue to provoke ethnic conflict"
for economic gain, particularly in Ituri", the panel reported. |
| 17
October 2002 - |
Amnesty International,
in an open letter to the UN Security Council, warns that "deliberate
incitement could lead to the possibility of genocide" in Ituri. |
| October
2002 - |
Humanitarian agencies
encounter difficulties in securing flight permissions to land
in Bunia. Relations between the UPC, which controls Bunia, and
humanitarian agencies remain strained. |
| 31
October 2002 - |
Human Rights Watch
urges the UN to increase MONUC forces to protect civilians against
slaughter in eastern DRC, including Ituri. |
| November
2002 - |
Cholera epidemic in Bunia kills
12. |
| 22 November
2002 - |
Orientale governor (and former Ituri
governor), Joseph Eneku, killed in an ambush 20 km from Mahagi. |
| November
2002 - |
Progress on the Ituri Pacification
Committee has been stalled due to the insistence of Lubanga
that Ituri be recognised as a province, not a district. Kinshasa
refuses. |
| 5
December 2002 - |
Lubanga provides
security guarantees for the NGOs working in the region, MONUC
reports. This followed continuing difficulties for NGOs operating
in the area and the expulsion of the UN OCHA's representative
in Bunia. |
| 17
December 2002 - |
Comprehensive
peace deal signed at ICD talks in Pretoria. |
| ? |
? |
![Ituri WSlogo [Photo Credit: Christoffel Blinden]](images/Iturilogo.jpg)
