458 Chapter 4
Fatalities: Missing
Narrative: In August 1998, Uganda and Rwanda sent troops to overthrow the
Democratic Republic of Congo’s leader, Laurent Kabila. However, their different
approaches led them to support rival factions the following year. Uganda sought to
encourage the Congolese to join the fight, while Rwanda, to whose enemies Kabila
provided arms, looked to overthrow Kabila themselves. On August 11, Ugandan
forces surrounded the Rwandan troops at Bangkoka Airport. The Rwandan troops
withdrew, and the Ugandans took control of the airport. Fighting began on August
14, and within a day Ugandan troops had pushed the Rwandans from their defenses.
Fighting then spread to Kisangani itself. On August 15, the president of Uganda and
vice president of Rwanda ordered a ceasefire, but fighting continued.
Rwandan troops tried to capture Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, head of the Uganda-
backed Congolese Rally for Democracy, during the fighting but were unsuccessful.
Then, on August 18, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwandan Vice Presi-
dent Paul Kagame agreed to an immediate ceasefire, and on the 22nd they signed a
more detailed agreement at Rwakitura.
MID#4253
Dispute Number: 4253
Date(s): May 5, 2000 to June 11, 2000
Participants: 500 Uganda/517 Rwanda
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: Missing
Narrative: In August 1998 Uganda and Rwanda sent troops to overthrow the Demo-
cratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) leader, Laurent Kabila. However, their different
approaches led them to support rival factions in 1999. Uganda sought to encourage the
Congolese to join the fight, while Rwanda, to whose enemies Kabila provided arms,
looked to overthrow Kabila themselves. Both countries also benefitted from Congo’s
rich natural resources, and many of the clashes between Rwandan and Ugandan troops
took place around Kisangani, a diamond-mining city.
This particular dispute began when Ugandan forces shelled Rwandan troops early
on May 5, 2000, on the outskirts of Kisangani. On May 9 Uganda and Rwanda agreed
to give control of Kisangani to UN forces, and withdrawals began on May 29. On
June 5 both sides clashed again as Rwanda complained that Uganda shelled its troops
without provocation, while Uganda claimed its troops had come under attack from
unknown forces. By June 11 Rwandan troops had forced Ugandan troops from the
city. The Organization of African Unity sent Sir Ketumile Masire, a former president
of Botswana, to facilitate an agreement, but on June 12, Kabila announced he would
no longer cooperate with Masire. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 1304
on June 16, which called for an end to hostilities throughout the DRC and demanded
the withdrawal of Rwandan and Ugandan forces from Kisangani (see similar conflicts
in MID#4122, MID#4252, and MID#4310).