Alliance of Democratic
Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL)
Congo
[Rwanda created and armed the Congolese
anti-Mobuto rebel group AFDL (Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation
of Congo)
to spearhead the invasion,
and they quickly made their way towards Kinshasa. By mid-1997, Mobuto was
overthrown and dead, and the Congolese
AFDL commander Laurent-Désiré Kabila declared that the state should henceforth
be known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
while assuming the role of president. He swiftly assigned Rwandan Tutsies to
important government roles in effort to please his former backers.]
Laurent-Desire Kabila (AFDL
commander)
Most reporting
from the Kivus zooms in on sexual violence and the Western media always
blames the victims—Congolese soldiers caught in the maelstrom of international
proxy warfare and organized crime—but we hear nothing about U.S. or Canadian or
Australian mining companies—and for those rare times that we do the reportage
de-links the mining from the mass murder.
[2008
Dec]
Merchants of Death: Exposing Corporate-financed Holocaust in Africa.
White Collar War Crimes, Black African Fall Guys by Keith Harmon Snow
[2010 June] Report
of the Mapping Exercise documenting the most serious violations of human rights
and international humanitarian law committed within the territory of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo between March 1993 and June 2003 by
Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
CHAPTER II. JULY 1996 – JULY 1998: FIRST CONGO
WAR AND AFDL
REGIME
177. From July 1996, Tutsi/Banyamulenge152 armed units who had
left Zaire to pursue
military training in Rwandan army, the APR (Armée patriotique rwandaise), in
Rwanda,
along with APR soldiers, began their operations to infiltrate the province of
South Kivu
via Burundi and destabilise North Kivu via Uganda. The first serious clashes
between the
FAZ and the infiltrés took place on 31 August 1996 near Uvira in the province of
South
Kivu. On 18 October, the conflict took a new turn when an armed movement, the
AFDL
(Alliance des forces démocratiques pour la libération du Congo), was officially
formed
in Kigali, asserting its intention to topple President Mobutu.153
Under the cover of the
AFDL, whose own troops, weapons and logistics were supplied by Rwanda, soldiers
from the APR, the UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Force) and the FAB (Forces
armées
burundaises) entered Zaire en masse and set about capturing the provinces of
North and
South Kivu and the Ituri district.154
[2010 June] Report of the Mapping Exercise
196. After the AFDL was officially formed on 18 October 1996, Alliance
troops,
supported by soldiers from the APR and FAB (Forces armées burundaises) attacked
the
village of Bwegera. On 20 October, having taken control of the village, the
soldiers were
divided into two columns, the first leaving northwards towards Luvungi and the
second
southwards towards Luberizi. As they advanced, AFDL/APR/FAB soldiers carried out
widespread and systematic attacks on the eleven Rwandan and Burundian refugee
camps
set up in the territory. Many witnesses have confirmed that these attacks took
place
within a few days of the majority of the ex-FAR/Interahamwe and CNDD-FDD units
leaving the area.
- On 20 October 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units attacked the Itara I and II
refugee
camps near Luvungi village, killing at least 100 Burundian and Rwandan
refugees. In the neighbouring village of Katala, they captured and killed
refugees
at point-blank range who were trying to flee. The soldiers then forced local
people
to bury the bodies in mass graves.184
- On 20 October 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units attacked the Kanganiro camp at
Luvungi with heavy weapons, killing an unknown number of refugees, including
around twenty in the camp’s hospital. On the same day, they also killed an
unknown number of refugees who had been hiding in the homes of Zairian
civilians at Luvingi. The solders then forced local people to bury the
bodies in
mass graves.185
- On 20 October 1996, when they entered the village of Rubenga, units of
the
AFDL/APR/FAB killed an unknown number of refugees and Zairian civilians
who were fleeing in the direction of Burundi. The victims’ bodies were then
dumped in the Ruzizi River.186
- On 21 October 1996, units of the AFDL/APR/FAB attacked Lubarika camp and
village, killing an unknown number of Rwandan and Burundian refugees, as
well
as Zairian civilians who were trying to flee the village after the departure
of the
FAZ. The soldiers forced local people to bury the bodies in four large mass
graves. On the same day, soldiers also burned thirty refugees alive in a
house in
the village of Kakumbukumbu, five kilometres from Lubarika camp.187
- On 21 October 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units attacked the Luberizi refugee
camp
between Luberizi and Mutarule with heavy weapons, killing around 370
refugees.
The soldiers threw the bodies of the victims into the latrines. They also
killed
several dozen people (refugees and Zairians) at the villages of Luberizi and
Mutarule. After the killings, the bodies of over 60 victims were found in
houses in
the two villages.188
- On 24 October 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB troops attacked the Kagunga camp, where
they killed an unknown number of refugees. One direct witness to the attack
confirmed having seen eight bodies. Soldiers also killed an unknown number
of
refugees trying to escape in the company of Zairians at the village of
Hongero,
one kilometre from Kagunga.189
197. After the capture of the town of Uvira in the night of 24 and 25 October
1996 and
the routing of the FAZ over practically all of Uvira territory, the Burundian
and Rwandan
refugees fled in several directions. Some left for the territory of Fizi, then
travelled on to
North Katanga, Tanzania or Zambia. Others tried to escape towards the north,
passing
through the territories of Kabare and Walungu. Many Burundian refugees fled in
the
direction of Burundi. Unable to cross the Ruzizi River, they were often
apprehended at
the Kiliba sugar mill and the villages of Ndunda, Ngendo and Mwaba.
- On 25 October 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed an unknown number of
refugees who were hiding in disused dwellings in sectors 3 and 4 of the Kiliba
sugar mill.190
- Between 1 and 2 November 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units carried out the
indiscriminate killing of around 250 civilians, including over 200 refugees
and
around thirty Zairians, in the village of Ndunda, near the Burundian border.
The
refugees were hiding in the village of Ndunda in the hope of securing the
protection of CNDD-FDD militiamen, who had a base nearby. During the attack,
a number of refugees drowned in the Ruzizi River as they tried to escape.
The
soldiers also killed Zairians from the village, accusing them of backing the
CNDD-FDD.191
- On 24 November 1996, in the village of Mwaba, units of the AFDL/APR/FAB
burned 24 Burundian Hutu refugees from the Biriba camp alive. On their arrival
in Mwaba, the soldiers arrested those present in the village. After questioning
them, they freed the Zairian civilians and imprisoned the Burundian refugees in
a
house which they then set on fire.192
198. AFDL/APR/FAB soldiers set up a number of checkpoints on the Ruzizi Plain
around the villages of Bwegera, Sange, Luberizi and Kiliba, at the entrance to
Uvira town
(Kalundu Port), at Makobola II (Fizi territory) and at the Rushima ravine (Uvira
territory). At these checkpoints, soldiers sorted the people they intercepted
according to
their nationality, under the pretext of preparing for their return to their
country of origin.
Individuals identified as Rwandan or Burundian Hutus on the basis of their
accent, their
morphology or their dress were systematically separated from the other
intercepted
people and killed in the surrounding area.
- On 22 October 1996, in the Rushima ravine between Bwegera and Luberizi,
units
of the AFDL/APR/FAB killed a group of nearly 550 Rwandan Hutu refugees who
had escaped the Luberizi and Rwenena camps a few days before. Soldiers
intercepted the victims at the checkpoints set up in the surrounding area.
Between
27 October and 1 November 1996, under the pretext of repatriating them to
Rwanda, units of the AFDL/APR/FAB led an unknown number of additional
refugees into the Rushima ravine and executed them.193
- In the days and weeks that followed 25 October 1996, units of the
AFDL/APR/FAB killed an unknown number of refugees at a place called
Kahororo, in sector 7 of the Kiliba sugar mill. The victims had been
apprehended
in the surrounding villages.194
- On 29 October 1996, units of the AFDL/APR/FAB killed around 220 male
refugees near the church of the 8th CEPZA (Pentecostal Community of Zaire),
now CEPAC (Community of Pentecostal Churches in Central Africa), in the
village of Luberizi. The victims were part of a group of refugees who were
told by
soldiers that they had to be rounded up for their repatriation to Rwanda.
The
soldiers separated the men from the rest of the group and shot them or
killed them
with bayonets. The bodies of the victims were buried in mass graves near the
church.195
- On 3 November 1996, units of the AFDL/APR/FAB burned 72 Rwandan refugees
alive at the COTONCO headquarters, one kilometre from the village of Bwegera.
The victims had been captured in neighbouring villages. The AFDL/APR/FAB
units had gathered the victims in the COTONCO house under the pretext that
they
would then be repatriated to Rwanda.196
- On 13 November 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed around 100 Burundian
refugees in the village of Ngendo, seven kilometres from Sange in the Uvira
territory.197
- On 8 December 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB soldiers killed 13 male refugees in the
village of Rukogero, nine kilometres from Sange in the Uvira territory. The
victims belonged to a group of between 200 and 300 refugees that had fled
the
Kibogoye camp. After their arrest, the refugees were imprisoned in the
church of
the 8th CEPZA. The soldiers allowed the women and girls to leave but killed
the
men and boys. The bodies of the victims were thrown in the latrines
beside the
church.198
- On 12 December 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed fifteen civilians in the
village of Ruzia, including refugees who had fled the Luberizi/Mutarule camp
and
Zairian civilians. The victims were captured during a military combing
exercise to
flush out refugees hiding among the Zairian population. Some of the victims
were
burned alive in a house; others were shot. The victims’ bodies were then
buried in
three mass graves.199
- On 22 December 1996 at Ruzia, on the banks of the Ruzizi River,
AFDL/APR/FAB soldiers killed at least 150 people, most of them refugees who
had survived the attack on the Runingu camp. The victims were hiding in the
forest when they were spotted by the soldiers. Their bodies were burned by
the
soldiers two days after the incident. Another source suggested a figure of
600
victims.200
201. From 22 October 1996, in the face of the advancing AFDL/APR troops,
refugees
from the Nyangezi and Nyantende camps began to flee towards Bukavu. From 26
October 1996 onwards, the soldiers launched attacks on the camps to the south
and west
of Bukavu city. In most cases, the refugees had already left the camps before
the soldiers
arrived, fleeing towards the Kashusha, INERA and ADI-Kivu camps (north of Bukavu)
and the Chimanga camp (west of Bukavu in the direction of Shabunda). On 26
October,
AFDL/APR soldiers set fire to the already abandoned camp of Muku, ten kilometres
from
Bukavu in the Walungu territory.
- On 26 October 1996, units of the AFDL/APR killed several hundred
refugees
who were fleeing along the routes between Nyantende and Walungu-Centre and
Nyantende and Bukavu. Most of the victims came from the Uvira territory and
the
Ruzizi Plain. They were shot, killed by blows from bayonets or hit by
shrapnel.
The soldiers set fire to most of the sites where refugees were located. Most
of the
victims were women, children and the elderly. According to the witness
statements gathered, the soldiers killed between 200 and 600 people. The
bodies
of the victims were buried at the scene by the local people.204
- On 28 October 1996, units of the AFDL/APR from Nyangezi killed five
refugees
in the village of Lwakabiri, thirty kilometres west of Bukavu.205
202. After the capture of Bukavu on 29 October 1996, AFDL/APR troops
continued
their operations against the camps located north of the city.
- On 2 November 1996, AFDL/APR units attacked the Kashusha/INERA camp in
the Kabare territory with heavy weapons, killing hundreds of refugees.
Outflanked, FAZ troops from the camp security contingent CZSC (Contingent
zaïrois pour la sécurité des camps)206 fled, followed by some of
the refugees.
During the attack, AFDL/APR soldiers fired indiscriminately at the FAZ, the
ex-
FAR/Interahamwe and the refugees.207
- Around 22 November 1996, units of the AFDL/APR killed several hundred
refugees in the Chimanga camp, seventy-one kilometres west of Bukavu. When
they arrived at the camp, the soldiers asked the refugees to assemble for a
meeting. The soldiers then promised them that they would slaughter a cow and
give them meat so they could build their strength with a view to returning
to
better conditions in Rwanda. They then began to register the refugees,
grouping
them according to their prefecture of origin. At a given moment, however, a
whistle sounded and the soldiers positioned all around the camp opened fire
on
the refugees. According to the different sources, between 500 and 800
refugees
were killed in this way.208
- In January 1997, AFDL/APR units killed at least thirty Rwandan and
Burundian
refugees, mostly with knives, on the Bukavu to Walungu road, around sixteen
kilometres from the city of Bukavu. The victims had been arrested as part of
a
combing operation. Before killing the victims, the soldiers often tortured
and
maimed them.209
204. Most of the refugees who were trapped at Nyabibwe tried to reach
Bunyakiri and
Hombo via the Hauts Plateaux of Kalehe. One group moved into the makeshift camps
at
Shanje and Numbi. Pursued by the AFDL/APR soldiers, many refugees were killed in
these makeshift camps and at Chebumba and Lumbishi in the Kalehe territory.
- On 21 November 1996, units of the AFDL/APR killed several hundred
refugees
and injured hundreds more in their makeshift camp at Shanje and in and
around
the Rukiga bamboo forest in the Kalehe territory. Some of the victims were
shot,
or killed by shrapnel or rockets. Others, including many elderly people, the
sick
and children, were killed along the roadside. This second group of victims
were
the survivors of the attack on the camp. The soldiers, who had asked them to
assemble and march as a column towards Rwanda, opened fire on them along the
way.211
- On 22 November 1996, AFDL/APR units killed an unknown number of refugee
survivors from the Shanje camp at Lumbishi.212
205. Most of the Shanje survivors fled via the Rukiga bamboo forest. At the
village of
Hombo, they joined the survivors of the Kashusha/INERA camp, who were trying to
reach North Kivu by travelling through the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
- Around 2 November and 4 November 1996, in the Kahuzi-Biega National
Park,
AFDL/APR units killed an unknown number of refugees.