Sultani Makenga

Last updated
Sultani Makenga
Sultani Makenga, M23, 2013.jpg
Sultani Makenga, pictured wearing his "emblematic" cap, [1] in 2013
Born (1973-12-25) December 25, 1973 (age 51)
Rutshuru, North Kivu, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) [2]
Nationality Congolese
Military career
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
Battles / wars

General Sultani Makenga (born 25 December 1973) is a Congolese rebel leader and the military chief [3] of the March 23 Movement (M23), a revolutionary group based in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Makenga is an ethnic Tutsi and was raised in North Kivu. [1] He fought for the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the Rwandan Civil War. [1]

Contents

Earlier history

Sultani joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1990 and fought in the Rwandan Civil War. Sultani 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. [2] 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. [3] 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 was defeated by the FARDC backed by the UN FIB (Force Intervention Brigade), Makenga surrendered 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, Sultani 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. He succeeded and some of his militants were even hired by the Ugandan government to crush protests. [10]

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

See also

Related Research Articles

<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.

Bosco Ntaganda is a convicted war criminal and the former military chief of staff of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), an armed militia group operating in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He is a former member of the Rwandan Patriotic Army and allegedly a former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC), the military wing of the Union of Congolese Patriots.

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

The National Congress for the Defence of the People was a rebel group 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 Congolese military. In January 2009, the CNDP split and Nkunda was arrested by the Rwanda government, and its splinter faction, led by Bosco Ntaganda, was planned to be integrated into the national army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunagana, Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Place in North Kivu, DR Congo

Bunagana is a small town in Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu Province, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the border with Uganda. It served as the headquarters of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel militia in 2013 and has been occupied by M23 since 13 June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M23 rebellion</span> 2012–2013 conflict in the DRC

The M23 rebellion was an armed conflict in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), that occurred between the March 23 Movement and government forces between 4 April 2012 and 7 November 2013. It ended when a peace agreement was made among eleven African nations, and the M23 troops surrendered in Uganda. The rebellion was part of continued fighting in the region after the formal end of the Second Congo War in 2003. The conflict reignited in late 2021 after rebel "general" Sultani Makenga and 100 rebel fighters attacked the border town of Bunagana but failed. A few months later, with a much larger force, the rebels of the M23 movement renewed their attack and captured Bunagana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">March 23 Movement</span> Rebel military group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The March 23 Movement, often abbreviated as M23 and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, is a Congolese Tutsi-led, Rwandan-backed rebel military group. Based in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it operates mainly in the province of North Kivu, which borders both Uganda and Rwanda. The M23 rebellion of 2012 to 2013 against the DRC government led to the displacement of large numbers of people. On 20 November 2012, M23 took control of Goma, a provincial capital with a population of a million people, but it was requested to evacuate it by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region because the DRC government had finally agreed to negotiate. In late 2012, Congolese troops, along with UN troops, retook control of Goma, and M23 announced a ceasefire and said that it wanted to resume peace talks.

Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero is an evangelical bishop and the former President of the March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel military faction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which took control of the eastern city of Goma in November, 2012. He previously rejected a deadline by a regional summit in Uganda for the M23 movement to withdraw from Goma saying "withdrawal from Goma should not be a prerequisite for talks but rather should come as the result of talks". M23 withdrew from Goma in December following negotiations. He was sacked from the movement after he signed an accord on February 24 pledging to end the conflict. In a statement signed by M23's military leader, Sultani Makenga, he was accused of treason because of "financial embezzlement, divisions, ethnic hatred, deceit and political immaturity". A faction of the M23 loyal to him, including M23 founder Bosco Ntaganda, have clashed with those loyal to Sultani Makenga.

Bertrand Bisimwa is a Congolese rebel leader who is the president of the March 23 Movement, a rebel group based in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Force Intervention Brigade</span> Military unit

The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations Security Council on 28 March 2013 through Resolution 2098. Although it is not the first instance in which the use of force was authorized by the UN, the Force Intervention Brigade is the first UN peacekeeping operation specifically tasked to carry out targeted offensive operations to "neutralize and disarm" groups considered a threat to state authority and civilian security. In this case, the main target was the M23 militia group, as well as other Congolese and foreign rebel groups. While such operations do not require the support of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the Force Intervention Brigade often acts in unison with the FARDC to disarm rebel groups.

The 2013 Kivu offensive refers to actions in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by the Congolese army, which captured two towns from M23 rebels: Kiwanja and Buhumba, both of which are in the Rutshuru area of North Kivu province, near the Rwandan border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M23 offensive (2022–present)</span> Conflict in the DR Congo

In late March 2022, the March 23 Movement (M23), supported by Rwanda, launched an offensive in North Kivu against the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), and MONUSCO. The fighting displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and caused renewed tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions (2022–present)</span> Ongoing military tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda

Beginning in 2022, tensions heightened between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, marking a significant breakdown in relations between the two countries. Amid this, Rwandan forces have crossed into the DRC multiple times, usually fighting alongside Congolese rebels.

Yusufu Eric Mboneza, more commonly called Yusuf Mboneza, is or was a Congolese military officer and rebel. During his career he served in the Rally for Congolese Democracy, the National Congress for the Defence of the People, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and finally the March 23 Movement.

The Kishishe massacre occurred from November 29 to December 1, 2022, in the North Kivu village of Kishishe in the Rutshuru Territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The March 23 Movement, a predominantly Tutsi armed group, summarily killed at least 131 civilians in Kishishe following clashes with local militias, according to a preliminary United Nations investigation. At the same time, the Kinshasa authorities had previously reported approximately 300 fatalities. The attack also resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people who were forced to flee to other locations such as Kanyabayonga, Kibirizi, Kashala, Kirima, Nyanzale, Kashalira, Bambu, and Kitchanga. Some victims also sought refuge in neighboring countries due to the ongoing violence and instability in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchanga</span> Capital and urban center in Bashali Chiefdom, North Kivu

Kitchanga, also known as Kitshanga, is a town and a camp for Congolese Internally Displaced People (IDPs) strategically positioned between Masisi and Rutshuru territories of the North Kivu Province, with a vantage point overlooking Lake Kivu in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Administratively, the Masisi part of Kitchanga functions as a larger urban center and the capital of the Bashali Chiefdom, while the other part is situated in the Bwito Chiefdom of the Rutshuru Territory. Geographically, Kitchanga is located approximately 90 km northwest of Goma and 10 kilometers north of Burungu, in close proximity to the villages of Kizimba and Budey. As of 2015, the population of Kitchanga was estimated at 18,927 for the Masisi Territory part and 25,157 for the Rutshuru Territory, excluding the populace within the displaced sites of Kahe and Mungote adjacent to Kitchanga in the Masisi Territory.

Events of the year 2024 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Kitshanga</span>

Between January 24 and 26, 2023, M23 rebels and Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) soldiers fought over the city of Kitshanga. The battle was part of the renewed M23 offensive, and ended on January 26 with M23 forces capturing the city. Civilians accused both M23 and FARDC-aligned militias of war crimes during and after the battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Kitshanga</span> Battle between M23 and Wazalendo fighters

The Second battle of Kitshanga broke out between Rwandan-backed M23 fighters and self-defense groups known as Wazalendo allied with the Congolese government. In January 2023, M23 rebels captured Kitshanga from the Congolese Army and allied forces in their renewed offensive in North Kivu. Wazalendo forces captured Kitshanga in early October 2023 as part of a counteroffensive, with the city switching hands between Wazalendo and the M23 after October 16, and a second M23 offensive on October 21 capturing the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bashali Chiefdom</span> Chiefdom in Masisi Territory, North Kivu

The Bashali Chiefdom is a chiefdom located in the Masisi Territory of North Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Topographically, it is bounded to the east by the Virunga National Park, to the north by the Bwito Chiefdom of Rutshuru Territory, to the northwest by Walikale Territory, to the south by the Bahunde Chiefdom, and to the west by the Osso sector. Encompassing a total area of 1,582 square kilometers, the chiefdom is the administrative and sociopolitical structure for the Hunde ethnic group and is administratively subdivided into two groupements: Bashali-Mokoto and Bashali-Kaembe. Kitchanga, the urban center and administrative capital of the Bashali-Mokoto groupement, is the most densely populated locality within the chiefdom.

The Goma offensive is an ongoing military campaign launched by the March 23 Movement (M23) Congolese rebel group against the regional capital of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The fighting is part of the larger M23 offensive in the North and South Kivu provinces of the DRC, which resumed in October 2024 after a pause. During January 2025, the M23 rebel group made a rapid advance in the Kivu region, arriving at the North Kivu provincial capital Goma on January 25.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "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.
  2. 1 2 African, New (2013-02-15). "Makenga: 'In Brief, My Life Is War'". New African Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  3. 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.
  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.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.