2009 Eastern Congo offensive
| 2009 Eastern Congo offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kivu conflict | |||||||
| File:Didier Etumba et un officiel Rwandais.jpg Congolese general Didier Etumba and James Kabarebe accessing the success of operation Kimia 2, Matadi, DRC, January 2010 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
File:Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg DR Congo File:Flag of Rwanda.svg Rwanda |
File:Flagge FDLR.svg FDLR Democratic Republic of the Congo Mai-Mai | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Democratic Republic of the Congo John Numbi Rwanda James Kabarebe[1] | Sylvestre Mudacumura (FDLR) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Democratic Republic of the Congo Unknown | 6,000 – 7,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5 Congolese soldiers killed, 3 Rwandan soldiers killed, 12 Congolese and Rwandan soldiers wounded[3] | 153 FDLR militiamen killed, 8 wounded, 19 captured, 140 surrendered & 5,000 repatriated[3] | ||||||
| 250+ civilians killed[4] | |||||||
The 2009 Eastern Congo offensive was a joint Congo-Rwanda military offensive against the Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group descended from those groups that carried out the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Two operations were carried out: 'Kimia II' and 'Umoja Wetu.' 'Kimia' can be translated as 'calm.' "Umoja Wetu" is Swahili for "Our Unity".[3]
Timeline
[edit | edit source]Rwanda and the DRC made an agreement to rout out elements of the FDLR from eastern Congo.[5] On 20 January 2009, 1,000 Rwandan soldiers poured over the border into eastern Congo near Goma and were working, according to United Nations officials, as advisers for the Congolese troops.[6]
On 23 January 2009, some rebels had started to surrender to Rwandan and Congolese troops.[5]
First reports of fighting came on 24 January 2009, when the Congolese army reported they killed nine FDLR militiamen. In response the rebels claimed they didn't lose any men and that the Congolese military itself suffered nine soldiers killed and one wounded in a clash with a group of Mai-Mai militiamen.[2] By this time the FDLR was in retreat from Southern into Northern Kivu province and the number of Rwandan soldiers in the region reached 5,000.
On 26 January 2009, rebels tried to retake the village of Kasinga, but were repulsed by Congolese and Rwandan soldiers in fighting that killed four militiamen.
On 18 February 2009, air strikes killed 40 rebels 5 kilometers west of Goma.[4]
Rwandan forces withdrew on 27 February 2009.[3]
References
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