IRIN Emergency Update No.185 on the Great Lakes (30 May 1997)

- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called for the formation of an African Common Market now that the "big hole in the middle of Africa has been filled up". Speaking in Kinshasa yesterday after the inauguration of Laurent-Desire Kabila as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he said Kabila's forces had

From P. Ares, Chief, Programming Service. Available on the Internet at WFP Home Page http://www.wfp.org/ or by e-mail from HicksDeb@wfp.org (fax 39 6 5228 2837). For information regarding resources, donors are requested to contact Mr. F. Strippoli (Strippoli@wfp.org)

Background

In mid-October 1996, fighting broke out in South Kivu, Zaire between the Zairian army (FAZ) and the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire, led by Laurent Kabila. The fighting caused Rwandan and Burundian refugees to flee, prompting more than 700,000 Rwandans and 62,000 Burundians to repatriate by the end of 1996. Hundreds of thousands of refugees also fled west, scattering in small groups in Zaire. The fighting spread, with the Alliance

The End Of Mobutu's Dictatorship

May 17, the day that troops from the Alliance des forces democratiques pour la liberation du Congo/Zaire (AFDL) arrived in Kinshasa, is a date which will long be remembered in the history of Zaire, a country which is once again being called the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following the capture of the mining regions, and the taking of Kikwit, a city which supplies the capital, there was no

SECURITY COUNCIL EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AS 'NEW PERIOD IN THEIR HISTORY' BEGINS

Presidential Statement Also Calls for Immediate End to Violence Against Refugees, Cooperation with UN Mission Investigating Reported Massacres

The Security Council, this evening, expressed its support for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as "they begin a new period in their history", its respect for their legitimate

3784th Meeting (Night)
29 May 1997

Presidential Statement Also Calls for Immediate End to Violence Against Refugees, Cooperation with UN Mission Investigating Reported Massacres

The Security Council, this evening, expressed its support for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as "they begin a new period in their history", its respect for their legitimate national aspirations to achieve progress to the benefit of all, and opposed any interference in the internal affairs of that country.

Earlier, tens of thousands of residents lined the streets, cheered the marchers and made V-for-Victory signs --