Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma
Encyclopedia
The Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma (RCD-Goma) was a faction of the RCD (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie, or Rally for Congolese Democracy), a rebel movement based in Goma
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC) during the Second Congo War (1998-2003).
After the war, some members of the group continued sporadic fighting in North Kivu.
The movement also entered mainstream politics, participating in democratic elections with little success.
(1998-2003), a rebellion against the government of Laurent-Désiré Kabila
. At first the RCD was led by Professor Ernest Wamba dia Wamba
.
A split developed in the RCD between November 1998 and May 1999 as it became clear that some Rwanda-backed members based in Goma simply wanted to remove Kabila, rather than to introduce democracy.
Several attempts were made on Wamba dia Wamba's life, and in May 1999 he was ousted from the leadership.
Wamba dia Wamba established a new group based on the town of Kisangani
, supported by Uganda, that became known as the RCD-Kisangani
(RCD-K) or later the RCD-Liberation Movement (RCD-LM).
Dr. Emile Ilunga
was named leader of the mainstream Rwanda-backed faction known as the RCD-Goma from its base in the town of Goma.
By June 2000 the RCD-Goma had taken control of Kisangani, supported by Ugandan and Rwandan troops.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1399
was adopted unanimously on March 19, 2002. The Council condemned the capture of the town of Moliro
by the RCD-Goma, describing it as a major violation of the ceasefire.
Stressing that no party would be allowed to make military gains during the peace process, the UN demanded that the RCD immediately withdraw from Moliro and Pweto
and for all other parties to withdraw to defensive positions called for in the Harare disengagement sub-plans.
Recalling that Kisangani
also had to be demilitarised
, the resolution reminded all parties to comply with the Ceasefire Agreement and called on Rwanda
to use its influence to ensure that the RDC implemented the current resolution.
The RCD said it welcomed the resolution and pledged to hand over the towns to MONUC control.
In May 2002 the RCD-Goma was harassing civilians and conducting extrajudicial executions in Kisangani.
The RCD-Goma attempted to ban the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General
and to expel several members of the United Nations peacekeeping force (MONUC) from areas under its control, drawing another condemnation from the UN Security Council.
On 21 June 2002, child soldiers of the pro-government Mai Mai militia entered Pweto
, and RDC officials hastily left.
Later that month the Rwandan-backed RDC-Goma forces again took control of Pweto, threatening the peace agreement under which Pweto was declared a demilitarized zone.
Towards the end of the war the RCD-Goma was thought to have between 20,000 and 30,000 troops. The RCD-Goma did not provide any security to civilians within the territory they controlled. Their troops, mainly of Banyamulenge
ethnic group (Tutsi
s originally from Rwanda), committed abuses against non-combatants. RCD-Goma officials demanded that their home constituents produce a certain number of recruits, and reportedly recruited children by force.
RCD-Goma Chairman Adolphe Onusumba Yemba signed a peace pact in Sun City, South Africa, on 2 April 2003.
Later that month the RCD/Goma launched a military offensive against the RCD-K/ML positions, occupying more than two thirds of the Lubero Territory.
The advance was halted after signature of an agreement in Bujumbura
on 19 June 2003.
Following the cease-fire the RCD-Goma continued to undertake offensives, drawing international condemnation for violating the cease-fire and threatening the political process.
Under the terms of the ceasefire the RCD/Goma had to withdraw to their former territory.
However Armée Nationale Congolaise (ANC) troops, the armed forces of the RCD-Goma, continued to occupy the city of Kanyabayonga
along with local mostly Hutu militias created and directed by the North Kivu Governor Eugene Serufuli.
In September 2003 the spokesman of the newly formed Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Vital Kamerhe, accused members of the RCD-Goma of fomenting a new rebellion. He based this on a copy of internal RCD-Goma correspondence that had been leaked to the media. The correspondence said President Joseph Kabila
was continuing to support the Interahamwe
, a group of Rwandan Hutu militias who fled to Congo after having played a major role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
.
On 10 and 11 October 2004, hundreds of mostly young students from primary and secondary schools took to the streets of the city of Kanyabayonga to protest against the increase in crimes against civilians by RCD-Goma forces.
ANC troops violently broke up the demonstration and instituted a reign of terror.
Laurent Nkunda
was an officer in the RCD-Goma. In 2003, with the official end of that war, Nkunda joined the new integrated national army of the transitional government as a colonel and was promoted to general in 2004. He soon rejected the authority of the government and retreated with some of the RCD-Goma troops to the Masisi
forests in Nord Kivu.
This was the start of the long-running Kivu conflict
.
A warrant for Nkunda's arrest on charges of war crimes was issued in September 2005.
In January 2006 his forces attacked and occupied several towns in Rutshuru Territory
in North Kivu province including Tongo, Bunagana and Rutshuru
. The troops looted the towns and raped or killed civilians who were unable to escape.
In February 2006 Human Rights Watch
accused the government of doing nothing to capture Nkunda despite knowing of his location.
One vice-president came from Kabila's political movement, one from the unarmed political opposition, one from the rebel Movement for the Liberation of the Congo, backed by Uganda and controlling much of the north of the country, and one from the RCD-Goma. Azarias Ruberwa Manywa, secretary-general of the RCD-Goma, was named his movement's candidate for vice-president in a two-year national transition government.
The RCD-Goma held 94 out of 500 seats in the National Assembly
.
Ruberwa ran for President in the July 2006 general elections
, coming sixth with only 1.7% of the vote. The RCD won 15 seats in the new 500-seat Assembly.
In the 19 January 2007 Senate
elections
, the party won 7 out of 108 seats.
Goma
Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the western branch of the Great Rift Valley, and Goma lies only 13 to 18 km due south of the crater of the active...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(DRC) during the Second Congo War (1998-2003).
After the war, some members of the group continued sporadic fighting in North Kivu.
The movement also entered mainstream politics, participating in democratic elections with little success.
Civil war
The RCD, operating in the east of the DRC, was a major factor in launching the Second Congo WarSecond Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...
(1998-2003), a rebellion against the government of Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila was President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from May 17, 1997, when he overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko, until his assassination by his bodyguards on January 18, 2001...
. At first the RCD was led by Professor Ernest Wamba dia Wamba
Ernest Wamba dia Wamba
Ernest Wamba dia Wamba is a senator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was the vice president of the Senate Permanent Commission on Legal and Administrative Matters in the transitional government. Previously, he was commander of the Kisangani faction of the rebel Rally for Congolese...
.
A split developed in the RCD between November 1998 and May 1999 as it became clear that some Rwanda-backed members based in Goma simply wanted to remove Kabila, rather than to introduce democracy.
Several attempts were made on Wamba dia Wamba's life, and in May 1999 he was ousted from the leadership.
Wamba dia Wamba established a new group based on the town of Kisangani
Kisangani
Kisangani is the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest urbanized city in the country and the largest of the cities that lie in the tropical woodlands of the Congo....
, supported by Uganda, that became known as the RCD-Kisangani
Forces for Renewal
The Forces for Renewal is a political party in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The party originated as a breakaway faction of the rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy and was previously known as the RCD-Kisangani-Movement for Liberation....
(RCD-K) or later the RCD-Liberation Movement (RCD-LM).
Dr. Emile Ilunga
Emile Ilunga
Emile Ilunga Kalambo is a politician and former leader of the Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma rebel movement.The RCD, operating in the east of the DRC, was a major factor in launching the Second Congo War , a rebellion against the government of Laurent-Désiré Kabila...
was named leader of the mainstream Rwanda-backed faction known as the RCD-Goma from its base in the town of Goma.
By June 2000 the RCD-Goma had taken control of Kisangani, supported by Ugandan and Rwandan troops.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1399
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1399
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1399, adopted unanimously on March 19, 2002, after recalling all previous resolutions on situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council condemned the capture of the town of Moliro and other activities by the rebel Rally for Congolese...
was adopted unanimously on March 19, 2002. The Council condemned the capture of the town of Moliro
Moliro
Moliro is a community in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo beside Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia.It is in Katanga Province....
by the RCD-Goma, describing it as a major violation of the ceasefire.
Stressing that no party would be allowed to make military gains during the peace process, the UN demanded that the RCD immediately withdraw from Moliro and Pweto
Pweto
Pweto is a town in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It is the administrative center of the Pweto Territory. The town was the scene of a decisive battle in December 2000 during the Second Congo War which resulted in both sides making more active efforts to achieve...
and for all other parties to withdraw to defensive positions called for in the Harare disengagement sub-plans.
Recalling that Kisangani
Kisangani
Kisangani is the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest urbanized city in the country and the largest of the cities that lie in the tropical woodlands of the Congo....
also had to be demilitarised
Demilitarisation
Demilitarisation or demilitarization is the reduction of a nation's army, weapons, or military vehicles to an agreed minimum. Demilitarisation is usually the result of a peace treaty ending a war or a major conflict....
, the resolution reminded all parties to comply with the Ceasefire Agreement and called on Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
to use its influence to ensure that the RDC implemented the current resolution.
The RCD said it welcomed the resolution and pledged to hand over the towns to MONUC control.
In May 2002 the RCD-Goma was harassing civilians and conducting extrajudicial executions in Kisangani.
The RCD-Goma attempted to ban the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
and to expel several members of the United Nations peacekeeping force (MONUC) from areas under its control, drawing another condemnation from the UN Security Council.
On 21 June 2002, child soldiers of the pro-government Mai Mai militia entered Pweto
Pweto
Pweto is a town in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It is the administrative center of the Pweto Territory. The town was the scene of a decisive battle in December 2000 during the Second Congo War which resulted in both sides making more active efforts to achieve...
, and RDC officials hastily left.
Later that month the Rwandan-backed RDC-Goma forces again took control of Pweto, threatening the peace agreement under which Pweto was declared a demilitarized zone.
Towards the end of the war the RCD-Goma was thought to have between 20,000 and 30,000 troops. The RCD-Goma did not provide any security to civilians within the territory they controlled. Their troops, mainly of Banyamulenge
Banyamulenge
The Banyamulenge is a term historically describing the ethnic Tutsi Rwandans concentrated on the High Plateau of South Kivu, in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , close to the Burundi-Congo-Rwanda border...
ethnic group (Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
s originally from Rwanda), committed abuses against non-combatants. RCD-Goma officials demanded that their home constituents produce a certain number of recruits, and reportedly recruited children by force.
Post-war ongoing conflict
The civil war officially ended with a power-sharing agreement between the government and rebel movements.RCD-Goma Chairman Adolphe Onusumba Yemba signed a peace pact in Sun City, South Africa, on 2 April 2003.
Later that month the RCD/Goma launched a military offensive against the RCD-K/ML positions, occupying more than two thirds of the Lubero Territory.
The advance was halted after signature of an agreement in Bujumbura
Bujumbura
-Education:The University of Burundi is located in Bujumbura.Hope Africa University is located in BujumburaUniversité du Lac Tanganyika is located in Bujumbura-External links:**...
on 19 June 2003.
Following the cease-fire the RCD-Goma continued to undertake offensives, drawing international condemnation for violating the cease-fire and threatening the political process.
Under the terms of the ceasefire the RCD/Goma had to withdraw to their former territory.
However Armée Nationale Congolaise (ANC) troops, the armed forces of the RCD-Goma, continued to occupy the city of Kanyabayonga
Kanyabayonga
Kanyabayonga is a community in Lubero Territory, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town has suffered from continued violence between the army and rival militias since 1993.-Location:...
along with local mostly Hutu militias created and directed by the North Kivu Governor Eugene Serufuli.
In September 2003 the spokesman of the newly formed Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo was tasked with moving from the state riven by the Second Congo War to a government based upon a constitution agreed on by consensus. In 2001 President Laurent Kabila was assassinated and his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state...
, Vital Kamerhe, accused members of the RCD-Goma of fomenting a new rebellion. He based this on a copy of internal RCD-Goma correspondence that had been leaked to the media. The correspondence said President Joseph Kabila
Joseph Kabila
Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician who has been President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since January 2001. He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila...
was continuing to support the Interahamwe
Interahamwe
The Interahamwe is a Hutu paramilitary organization. The militia enjoyed the backing of the Hutu-led government leading up to, during, and after the Rwandan Genocide. Since the genocide, they have been forced out of Rwanda, and have sought asylum in Congo...
, a group of Rwandan Hutu militias who fled to Congo after having played a major role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
.
On 10 and 11 October 2004, hundreds of mostly young students from primary and secondary schools took to the streets of the city of Kanyabayonga to protest against the increase in crimes against civilians by RCD-Goma forces.
ANC troops violently broke up the demonstration and instituted a reign of terror.
Laurent Nkunda
Laurent Nkunda
Laurent Nkunda or Laurent Nkundabatware, or Laurent Nkunda Batware, or as he prefers to be called The Chairman — is a former General in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is the former warlord operating in the province of Nord-Kivu, sympathetic to Congolese Tutsis and the...
was an officer in the RCD-Goma. In 2003, with the official end of that war, Nkunda joined the new integrated national army of the transitional government as a colonel and was promoted to general in 2004. He soon rejected the authority of the government and retreated with some of the RCD-Goma troops to the Masisi
Masisi
Masisi Territory is a territory in the Nord-Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is one of the places subject to the conflict between the Congolese army and militias, which has plagued the eastern Congo since the ending of the Second Congo War...
forests in Nord Kivu.
This was the start of the long-running Kivu conflict
Kivu conflict
The Kivu conflict is an armed conflict between the military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Hutu Power group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda . The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo also became involved in the conflict...
.
A warrant for Nkunda's arrest on charges of war crimes was issued in September 2005.
In January 2006 his forces attacked and occupied several towns in Rutshuru Territory
Rutshuru Territory
Rutshuru Territory is a territory in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo , with headquarters is the town of Rutshuru....
in North Kivu province including Tongo, Bunagana and Rutshuru
Rutshuru
Rutshuru, sometimes called Rushuru, is a town located in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is headquarters of an administrative district, the Rutshuru Territory. The town lies in the western branch of the Great Rift Valley between Lakes Edward and Kivu...
. The troops looted the towns and raped or killed civilians who were unable to escape.
In February 2006 Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
accused the government of doing nothing to capture Nkunda despite knowing of his location.
Democratic process
Under the power-sharing accord that ended the civil war, Kabila remained president, with four vice-presidents.One vice-president came from Kabila's political movement, one from the unarmed political opposition, one from the rebel Movement for the Liberation of the Congo, backed by Uganda and controlling much of the north of the country, and one from the RCD-Goma. Azarias Ruberwa Manywa, secretary-general of the RCD-Goma, was named his movement's candidate for vice-president in a two-year national transition government.
The RCD-Goma held 94 out of 500 seats in the National Assembly
National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Composition of the National Assembly...
.
Ruberwa ran for President in the July 2006 general elections
Democratic Republic of the Congo general election, 2006
General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 30, 2006, the first multiparty elections in the country in 41 years. 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.The polls were...
, coming sixth with only 1.7% of the vote. The RCD won 15 seats in the new 500-seat Assembly.
In the 19 January 2007 Senate
Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.During the transition period in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Senate, aside from its Legislative role, also had the task of drafting the country's new constitution...
elections
Democratic Republic of the Congo Senate election, 2007
Elections to the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo were held on 2007-01-19, though they had originally been scheduled for 2007-01-16...
, the party won 7 out of 108 seats.