UPC Crimes in Ituri (2002 – 2003)

The second Congo war began in 1998 and involved the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government forces of Laurent Kabila, which were supported by Angola, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, against several rebel movements backed by Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Despite the signing of the Lusaka Peace Accords in 1999, followed by agreements for the withdrawal of Rwandan and Ugandan forces from the Congo in 2002, fighting in the northeastern province of Ituri intensified as local surrogates carried on the battles of national and international actors.