Sultani Makenga

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Sultani Makenga
Sultani Makenga, M23, 2013 (cropped).jpg
Born (1973-12-25) December 25, 1973 (age 51)
Rutshuru, North Kivu, Zaire
(now Democratic Republic of the Congo) [1]
AllegianceRwandan Patriotic Front Flag.svg RPF
(1990–1994)
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997-2003).svg AFDL
(1996–1998)
RCD
(1998–2003)
Flag of CNDP.svg CNDP
(until 2009)
M23
(2012–present)
Years of service1990–present
RankMajor general
Battles / wars

General Sultani Makenga (born 25 December 1973) is a Congolese rebel leader and the military chief [2] of the March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel group based in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Contents

Early life and initial rebel career

Sultani Makenga was born on December 25, 1973, in the town of Rutshuru, North Kivu province, located in the eastern part of the Congo. He is an ethnic Tutsi and was raised in North Kivu. [3]

He joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1990 and fought in the Rwandan Civil War. [3] Makenga also took part in several Congolese conflicts during the mid-1990s and 2000s, including the First and Second Congo Wars, and the CNDP rebellion that occurred during the first phases of the Kivu conflict.

M23 rebellions (2012-present)

Sanctions were introduced against him by the United Nations Security Council in November 2012. [4] This was quickly followed by further sanctions from the United States for recruiting of child soldiers. [5] [6] He has denied that M23 used child soldiers, characterizing the accusations from those such as Human Rights Watch as propaganda. [1] He has denied accusations that the M23 rebellion is backed by Rwanda. [4] His faction of the M23 has clashed with those loyal to its political leader, Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero. [2] In May 2013, the M23 clashed with FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and there were rumors[ according to whom? ] that Makenga was badly wounded.

On November 7, 2013, after the M23 triumph the Congolese military backed by the UN FIB (Force Intervention Brigade), Makenga decide to retreat with hundreds of M23 fighters in Mgahinga National Park, Uganda. [7] [8] He and his troops were held in a secret location. [7]

In November 2016, Makenga left a demobilization camp in Uganda, and his whereabouts became unknown. [9] In early 2017, he tried to restart a guerilla war in the DRC with 200 men and succeeded, and some of his former militants were even hired by the Congolese government to crush protests. [10]

According to a 2024 report from the UN group of experts, he was traveling to Uganda and received active support for the M23 from the Ugandan military. [11] In August 2024, Makenga was sentenced to death in absentia by a Congolese military court. [12] [13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 African, New (2013-02-15). "Makenga: 'In Brief, My Life Is War'". New African Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  2. 1 2 "DR Congo: M23's Makenga and Runiga factions 'clash'". bbcnews.com. 25 February 2013. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Profile: Sultani Makenga, DR Congo's M23 leader". BBC News. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 "DR Congo's M23 rebels threaten to march to Kinshasa". bbcnews.com. 2012-11-21. Archived from the original on 2012-11-21. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  5. ↑ "DR Congo: US sanctions M23 rebel leader Sultani Makenga". BBC News. 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  6. ↑ "Treasury Designates Congolese Militant Leader". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  7. 1 2 "DR Congo's M23 rebel chief Sultani Makenga 'surrenders'". BBC News. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  8. ↑ Smith, David (7 November 2013). "Defeated Congolese rebel leader captured in Uganda, officials say". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  9. ↑ Bavier, Joe (2016-11-13). "Ex-Congo rebel leader missing, gunfire erupts in border town". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  10. ↑ "RDC : que devient Sultani Makenga, l'ancien chef rebelle du M23 ?". Jeune Afrique (in French). 10 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  11. ↑ Rolley, Sonia (2024-07-08). "Uganda provided support to M23 rebels in Congo, UN report says". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  12. ↑ "DR Congo military court sentences 26 armed group members to death". Al Jazeera. 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  13. ↑ Ilunga, Patrick (2024-08-08). "DRC military court sentences Nangaa, M23 leaders to hang". The East African. Retrieved 2024-09-02.


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