Dongo conflict

Last updated
Dongo conflict
Date30 October – 13 December 2009
Location
Belligerents

Lobala rebels


Possibly:
Resistance Patriots of Dongo

Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo

Supported by:
Flag of the United Nations.svg MONUC
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda (alleged)
Commanders and leaders
Udjani Mangbama
Ambroise Lobala Mokobe
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Joseph Kabila
Casualties and losses
~100 killed in total
168,000 civilians displaced

The Dongo conflict was a minor conflict centered in the town of Dongo, on the left bank of the Ubangi River in Sud-Ubangi District, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Violence initially broke out in late October 2009 after a local dispute over fishing rights. This destabilised the region and led to a spiral of violence, and an exodus of civilians attempting to flee from the fighting. By December 2009, this conflict was one of the biggest conflicts of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and the United Nations; more than 168,000 people had fled their homes, many of them crossing into the neighbouring Republic of the Congo. An intervention by the Congolese army and MONUC brought the conflict to an end by 13 December 2009.

Contents

Violence

Initial attacks

Dongo is a small town on the Ubangi River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on its frontier with the Republic of the Congo. The conflict at Dongo began in July 2009 with a dispute over the ownership of fish ponds claimed by people from Enyele and Monzaya villages which had been disputed since 1946. In the confrontation, seven policemen were killed and ethnic tensions increased. [1] [2] By 5 November 2009 at least 16,000 civilians had fled to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo (ROC) and Dongo had become a ghost town. [1]

Escalation

Further to the south, in Saba-Saba and in the Bomboma area, new fighting started on 17 November and the residents and the refugees from Dongo had to flee. [3] The refugees included members of the Congolese navy, which patrols the Ubangi River; they had to flee with their families because they had neither weapons nor ammunition to protect themselves. [4] More clashes occurred in the village of Buburo on 20 November. Although the inhabitants had already fled, the attackers destroyed the houses there, including the UNHCR offices, which had also earlier evacuated its staff. By 30 November 2009 more than 70,000 people had been displaced. About half of the displaced remained in DRC, taking temporary shelter in locations such as Kungu, Bokonzi, Bomboma and Bonzene. The rest of the displaced crossed the Ubangi River into ROC. [5]

The unrest was led by an animist priest called Udjani  [ fr ] whose followers apparently included former members of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo led by Jean-Pierre Bemba which fought the Congolese government during the Second Congo War (1998–2003). Udjani's supporters patrolled the Ubangi river, shooting at barges filled with people trying to escape. [6] By 10 December the conflict had left 100 dead and forced 115,000 people to flee their homes, two thirds of them into the Republic of the Congo, according to the UNHCR. [7] Amid growing violence, the creation of an anti-government rebel group called the "Resistance Patriots of Dongo" (Patriotes-Résistants de Dongo) was declared by Ambroise Lobala Mokobe but appears to have had little presence on the ground.

The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) rushed peacekeeping troops to Dongo in an effort to protect the local population. [2] First peace keepers to reach Dongo were a MILOB team led by Maj Sankha Jayamaha (Sri Lanka Army) from Gemina team site with some Ghana peace keepers to provide real time information and to compromise the prevailing situation. Peace keepers were able to reached to Dongo and also were able to facilitate UN official to reach Dongo by heli by making favorable and safe atmosphere. after some days a MONUC helicopter that was restocking the 20 troops stationed came under gunfire from armed men. The helicopter crew, all of Russian nationality, evacuated 25 people, including five injured people who were taken to Brazzaville for emergency medical treatment. [8]

Recapture of Dongo

The Congolese army (FARDC) recaptured Dongo on 13 December. According to the Congolese press among the rebels who had captured several towns in the area were former soldiers of the Congolese army, deserters, and former members of the Zairean army who had sought refuge in ROC. [6] [9]

At the weekly MONUC press conference of 16 December 2009, it was announced by MONUC spokesperson Madnodje Mounoubai that the first MONUC peacekeeping troops were deployed in Dongo, as well as in nearby Bozene. The 500 MONUC troops consisted of soldiers from the Ghanaian, Tunisian and Egyptian contingents as well as troops from the Guatemalan Special Forces. Military equipment such as armored personnel carriers, transport and combat helicopters were also at their disposal to support their mission. [10]

Refugee crisis

The crisis in Dongo led to an exodus of the civilian population, first due to the advance of the rebels and then due to the counter-attacks of the army. Humanitarian agencies faced major logistical obstacles since refugees were spread across an area of 500 km2 along the banks of the Ubangi River. With its local staff, the UNHCR has supported the creation of nine clinics around the highest concentration of refugees, where there is a greater need for medicines and medical staff. There are also mobile medical centers for remote areas. Humanitarian agencies also installed six large water tanks with a total capacity of 60,000 litres near Bétou in the northern Republic of Congo, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Dongo. [11] By 22 December, the number of refugees was estimated to be 168,000. [6]

Related Research Articles

The earliest known human settlements in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated back to the Middle Stone Age, approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states, such as the Kongo, the Lunda, the Luba and Kuba, appeared south of the equatorial forest on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Congo War</span> Major war in Africa (1998–2003)

The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War, the Great War of Africa, or the Great African War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 2 August 1998, little more than a year after the First Congo War, and involved some of the same issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MONUSCO</span> UN peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of the Congo

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République démocratique du Congo, is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was established by the United Nations Security Council in resolutions 1279 (1999) and 1291 (2000) to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War, though much of its focus subsequently turned to the Ituri conflict, the Kivu conflict and the Dongo conflict. The mission was known as the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo or MONUC, an acronym of its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo, until 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ituri conflict</span> Subconflict of the Second Congo War

The Ituri conflict is an ongoing low intensity asymmetrical conflict between the agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralist Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri region of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While the two groups had fought since as early as 1972, the name 'Ituri conflict' refers to the period of intense violence between 1999 and 2003. Armed conflict continues to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda</span> Congolese armed rebel group

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is an armed rebel group active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As an ethnic Hutu group opposed to the ethnic Tutsi influence, the FDLR is one of the last factions of Rwandan rebels active in the Congo. It was founded through an amalgamation of other groups of Rwandan refugees in September 2000, including the former Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALiR), under the leadership of Paul Rwarakabije. It was active during the latter phases of the Second Congo War and the subsequent insurgencies in Kivu.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election</span>

General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 30 July 2006. They were the first multiparty elections in the country in 41 years, and the first since the overthrow of longtime leader Mobutu Sese Seko nine years earlier. Voters went to the polls to elect both a new President of the Republic and a new National Assembly, the lower-house of the Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Place in Haut-Uele, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dungu is a town in Haut-Uele Province located at the confluence of the Dungu and Kibali Rivers where they join to form the Uele River, south of the Garamba National Park. Dungu's terrain is wooded savannah, and its climate is tropical.

Congolese history in the 2000s has primarily revolved around the Second Congo War (1998–2003) and the empowerment of a transitional government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kivu conflict</span> Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Kivu conflict is an umbrella term for a series of protracted armed conflicts in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo which have occurred since the end of the Second Congo War. Including neighboring Ituri province, there are more than 120 different armed groups active in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, some of the most active rebel groups include the Allied Democratic Forces, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo, the March 23 Movement, and many local Mai Mai militias. In addition to rebel groups and the governmental FARDC troops, a number of national and international organizations have intervened militarily in the conflict, including the United Nations force known as MONUSCO, and an East African Community regional force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Nord-Kivu campaign</span>

The 2008 Nord-Kivu campaign was an armed conflict in the eastern Nord-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The upsurge of violence in the Kivu conflict saw heavy battles between the Democratic Republic of Congo's army, supported by the United Nations, and Tutsi militia under General Laurent Nkunda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Congress for the Defence of the People</span> Congolese militia

The National Congress for the Defence of the People is a political armed militia established by Laurent Nkunda in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in December 2006. The CNDP was engaged in the Kivu conflict, an armed conflict against the military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In January 2009, the CNDP split and Nkunda was arrested by the Rwanda government. The remaining CNDP splinter faction, led by Bosco Ntaganda, was planned to be integrated into the national army.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1906</span> United Nations resolution adopted in 2009

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1925</span> United Nations resolution adopted in 2010

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References

  1. 1 2 DRC: Fish war prompts thousands to flee, Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), 5 November 2009.
  2. 1 2 Equateur: New interdisciplinary MONUC mission in Dongo, MONUC, 24 November 2009, archived from the original on 29 April 2009.
  3. DRC:70000 Flee Violence In North-West of the Country, Médecins Sans Frontières Australia, 1 December 2009, archived from the original on 6 January 2010.
  4. DRC-Congo: New wave of refugees flees fresh fighting, Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), 20 November 2009.
  5. DRC-ROC: More than 70,000 displaced by violence in Equateur, Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), 30 November 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 Thousands Flee Northern Congo Insurgency Inspired by Mystic, Bloomberg, 22 December 2009.
  7. Aid effort 'not enough' for DRC refugees, Agence France Presse, 10 December 2009, archived from the original on 28 July 2011.
  8. Alan Doss meets the Russian crew of a MONUC helicopter attacked in Dongo, MONUC, 12 December 2009, archived from the original on 29 April 2009.The control of Dongo was taken by rebels.
  9. DR Congo's armed forces enter troubled Dongo area, Xinhua, 15 December 2009, archived from the original on May 15, 2011.
  10. Equateur: An extra 500 MONUC troops being deployed to Dongo, MONUC, 16 December 2009, archived from the original on 29 April 2009.
  11. DR Congo: Refugees flee despite army advances, Spero News, 17 December 2009, archived from the original on 10 June 2011, retrieved 22 December 2009.

2°42′N18°24′E / 2.700°N 18.400°E / 2.700; 18.400