The Dongo conflict was a minor conflict centered in the town of Dongo, on the left bank of the

Ubangi River The Ubangi River (; ; ; ), also spelled Oubangui, is a river in Central Africa, and the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River. It begins at the confluence of the Mbomou River, Mbomou (mean annual discharge 1,350 m3/s) and Uele Rivers (mea ...

in Sud-Ubangi District,

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. Violence initially broke out in late October 2009 after a local dispute over fishing rights. This destabilised the region and led to a spiral of violence, and an exodus of civilians attempting to flee from the fighting. By December 2009, this conflict was one of the biggest conflicts of the

United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO (an acronym based on its French name ), is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A planned withdraw ...

(MONUC) and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

; more than 168,000 people had fled their homes, many of them crossing into the neighbouring

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

. An intervention by the Congolese army and MONUC brought the conflict to an end by 13 December 2009.

Violence

Initial attacks

Dongo is a small town on the

in the

on its frontier with the

. The conflict at Dongo began in July 2009 with a dispute over the ownership of fish ponds claimed by people from Enyele and Monzaya villages which had been disputed since 1946. In the confrontation, seven policemen were killed and ethnic tensions increased... By 5 November 2009 at least 16,000 civilians had fled to the neighbouring

(ROC) and Dongo had become a ghost town.

Escalation

Further to the south, in Saba-Saba and in the Bomboma area, new fighting started on 17 November and the residents and the refugees from Dongo had to flee.. The refugees included members of the Congolese navy, which patrols the

; they had to flee with their families because they had neither weapons nor ammunition to protect themselves. More clashes occurred in the village of Buburo on 20 November. Although the inhabitants had already fled, the attackers destroyed the houses there, including the

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

offices, which had also earlier evacuated its staff. By 30 November 2009 more than 70,000 people had been displaced. About half of the displaced remained in DRC, taking temporary shelter in locations such as Kungu, Bokonzi, Bomboma and Bonzene. The rest of the displaced crossed the Ubangi River into ROC. The unrest was led by an

animist Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...

priest called whose followers apparently included former members of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo led by Jean-Pierre Bemba which fought the Congolese government during the

Second Congo War The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War or the Great War of Africa, was a major conflict that began on 2 August 1998, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just over a year after the First Congo War. The war initially erupted ...

(1998–2003). Udjani's supporters patrolled the Ubangi river, shooting at barges filled with people trying to escape. . By 10 December the conflict had left 100 dead and forced 115,000 people to flee their homes, two thirds of them into the Republic of the Congo, according to the UNHCR. Amid growing violence, the creation of an anti-government rebel group called the " Resistance Patriots of Dongo" (''Patriotes-Résistants de Dongo'') was declared by Ambroise Lobala Mokobe but appears to have had little presence on the ground. The

(MONUC) rushed peacekeeping troops to Dongo in an effort to protect the local population. First peace keepers to reach Dongo were a MILOB team led by Maj Sankha Jayamaha (Sri Lanka Army) from Gemina team site with some Ghana peace keepers to provide real time information and to compromise the prevailing situation. Peace keepers were able to reached to Dongo and also were able to facilitate UN official to reach Dongo by heli by making favorable and safe atmosphere. after some days a MONUC helicopter that was restocking the 20 troops stationed came under gunfire from armed men. The helicopter crew, all of Russian nationality, evacuated 25 people, including five injured people who were taken to

Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...

for emergency medical treatment.

Recapture of Dongo

The Congolese army (FARDC) recaptured Dongo on 13 December. According to the Congolese press among the rebels who had captured several towns in the area were former soldiers of the Congolese army, deserters, and former members of the

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

an army who had sought refuge in ROC. At the weekly MONUC press conference of 16 December 2009, it was announced by MONUC spokesperson Madnodje Mounoubai that the first MONUC peacekeeping troops were deployed in Dongo, as well as in nearby Bozene. The 500 MONUC troops consisted of soldiers from the

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian,

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian contingents as well as troops from the

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

n Special Forces. Military equipment such as armored personnel carriers, transport and combat helicopters were also at their disposal to support their mission.

Refugee crisis

The crisis in Dongo led to an exodus of the civilian population, first due to the advance of the rebels and then due to the counter-attacks of the army. Humanitarian agencies faced major logistical obstacles since refugees were spread across an area of 500 km² along the banks of the Ubangi River. With its local staff, the UNHCR has supported the creation of nine clinics around the highest concentration of refugees, where there is a greater need for medicines and medical staff. There are also mobile medical centers for remote areas. Humanitarian agencies also installed six large water tanks with a total capacity of 60,000 litres near Bétou in the northern Republic of Congo, about north of Dongo.. By 22 December, the number of refugees was estimated to be 168,000.

References

External links

Armed group claims firing at UN chopper in DRC
(''Mail & Guardian'', 27 November)
DR Congo: After Dongo violence, 90,000 refugees and displaced
(Missionary International Service News Agency (MISNA), 2 December)

(Congo Siasa, 10 December)
DR.Congo troops take back town from tribal forces: govt
(Agence France Presse, 14 December)
Congo army retakes stronghold of western uprising
(Reuters, 15 December)
RDC-Congo-Brazzaville : une mission parlementaire conjointe attendue à Likouala et à Dongo
(Radio Okapi, 21 December)
Dongo : Un bataillon de la PIR décimé?
(''Congo Indépendant'', 23 December)
Alliance de Patriotes pour la Refondation du Congo

Press Release
(20 December) {{Post-Cold War African conflicts Conflicts in 2009 2009 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Civil wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo United Nations operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Wars involving Rwanda 2000s massacres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo