Katanga insurgency

Katanga Insurgency

Mai Mai militants surrendering in northern Katanga.
Date1963 – present
(61 years)
Location
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Congo-Léopoldville (until 1971)
 Zaire (1971–1997)
 DR Congo (from 1997)
ONUC (until 1964)
MONUSCO (since 1999)
Local self-defence groups[1]

Katangese rebels:

Alleged Support:
FARDC elements[2]
Katangese businessmen[2]

FDLR
Mai Mai Yakutumba[3][4]
CNPSC
Commanders and leaders
Mobutu Sese Seko (until 1997)
Joseph Kabila
Félix Tshisekedi
Jean Claude Kifwa
Pacifique Masunzu[5]
Rombault Nsiona[6]
Martin Kobler

Moïse Tshombe (POW) (until 1967)
Nathaniel Mbumba (until 1990s)
Gédéon Kyungu
Yesu Mulongo †
Fidel Ntumbi (POW)

Sylvestre Mudacumura[7]
Callixte Mbarushimana
Ignace Murwanashyaka
Strength

150,000 FARDC
670 MONUSCO (2014)[8]

  • Benin 450 troops[9]
  • Egypt 100 special forces[9]
 6,000–7,000 (FLNC, 1977)[10]
1,000–3,000 (2000s)
Casualties and losses
Unknown Thousands killed

The Katanga insurgency is an ongoing rebellion by a number of rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, some of which aim for the creation of a separate state within Katanga. While the insurgency has been active in various forms since 1963, insurgent groups have recently redoubled their efforts after the 2011 jail break that freed Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga, who commanded the majority of the Katangese separatist groups until his surrender to Congolese authorities in October 2016.[11]

Since 2000, FDLR insurgents have been engaged in a low level military conflict with the FARDC and various Katangese separatist groups; the FDLR are mostly active in the north-eastern portion of Katanga province near the border with South Kivu. The conflict in the region has caused an exodus of around 600,000 refugees to various other parts of the DRC, and an unknown number of civilians have died as a result of the conflict.

  1. ^ United Nations Security Council. "Security Council Report" (PDF). UNSC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Katanga: Fighting for DR Congo's cash cow to secede". BBC News. 11 August 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Vlow was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference JNS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Ntung, Alex (9 October 2014). "Congo: Kabila reshuffles his military pack". African Arguments. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  6. ^ Congo Militia Attacks Police Chief's House in Katanga Archived 2017-10-13 at the Wayback Machine Bloomberg. Published October 29, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  7. ^ Chris McGreal (5 August 2014). "US tells armed group in DRC to surrender or face 'military option'". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017.
  8. ^ Bariyo, Nicholas (26 February 2014). "U.N. Bolsters Congo Mission". WSJ. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  9. ^ a b "UN Sends More Troops to DR Congo's Troubled Katanga Region". Modern Ghana. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016.
  10. ^ Abbott 2014, p. 22.
  11. ^ "Congo militia leader, 100 fighters surrender to authorities". Fox News. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2021.