Operation Kitona

Operation Kitona
Part of Second Congo War
Date 4 – 30 August 1998 Location Bas-Congo and Kinshasa Provinces in Western Congo 05°55′05″S 012°26′51″E / 5.91806°S 12.44750°E / -5.91806; 12.44750 Result Congolese victory
Belligerents
Rwanda  Uganda FAZ Mutineers Banyamulenge UNITA (Limited to assisting the Rwandan retreat)	DR Congo  Zimbabwe (From 8 August)  Angola (From 22 August)
Commanders and leaders
James Kabarebe James Kazini	Laurent-Désiré Kabila Perrance Shiri Mike Nyambuya José Eduardo dos Santos
Units involved
Rwanda High Command Unit Commandos 3 RPA Battalions  Uganda Nguruma Battalion Various Light Artillery	Zimbabwe No. 4 Squadron ZAF No. 7 Squadron ZAF No. 8 Squadron ZAF SAS Commandos  Angola Briada de Commandos
Strength
3,000+ Rwandan and Ugandan Regulars 15,000+ Congolese Rebels	DR Congo Unknown  Zimbabwe 800+  Angola 2,500+
Casualties and losses
Unknown (Likely in the thousands)	Unknown
Thousands of civilian casualties
class=notpageimage| Location within Democratic Republic of the Congo

Operation Kitona was a Rwandan/Ugandan offensive that marked the beginning of the Second Congo War. Rwanda hoped to depose Laurent-Désiré Kabila and install a government more favorable to Rwanda's interests by quickly taking control of Kinshasa and the strategic western province of Bas-Congo (today Kongo Central). On August 4, 1998, joint Rwandan and Ugandan forces launched a surprise attack on Kitona airbase in Western Congo using hijacked civilian airliners. While initially successful in taking control of major ports and infrastructure, Zimbabwean and Angolan intervention prevented the Rwandans and Ugandans from taking control of Kinshasa. The invading forces were forced to withdraw to the jungles of Angola until they were evacuated by air to Rwanda in late 1998.

Today the operation is studied for its daring initial aerial assault, as well as the intelligence failures on the Rwandan side.