Republic of the Congo Civil War (1997-99)
| Republic of the Congo Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo (to October 1997)Cocoye Militia Ninja Militia Nsiloulou Militia  Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo (from October 1997) Cobra Militia  Rwandan Hutu Militia Angola Chad
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Support:
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Support:
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Pascal Lissouba Bernard Kolelas Joseph Kabila
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Denis Sassou Nguesso José Eduardo dos Santos Idriss Déby
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| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000 Cocoye Militia 16,000 Ninja Militia 200–300 FARDC |
8,000 Cobra Militia 1,500 Angolan Armed Forces 600 Rwandan Hutu Militia |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 13,929–25,050 total deaths. Over 200,000 internally displaced and 6,000 foreign refugees. |
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The Second Republic of the Congo Civil War was an ethnopolitical civil conflict in the African state of Republic of the Congo, beginning on 5 June 1997 and continuing until December 1999. The war served as the continuation of the civil war of 1993 and involved militias representing three political candidates. The conflict ended following the intervention of the Angolan army, which reinstated former president Denis Sassou Nguesso to power.
The Republic of the Congo gained its independence from France in 1960, and soon entered a period of political turbulence. Following a three-day uprising, Congo fell under the influence of scientific socialism, establishing relations with the Eastern Bloc and becoming a single-party People's Republic. Two regime changes took place as the country faced a rise in ethnic tensions, with Denis Sassou Nguesso assuming presidency in 1979. In 1990 the country made its first steps towards a multiparty political system, eventually leading to the 1992 general elections.
The elections concluded with UPADS candidate Pascal Lissouba winning the presidential race, MCDDI's Bernard Kolelas coming second, and PCT's Sassou Nguesso running third. Kolelas and Sassou Nguesso were dissatisfied with the outcome of the elections, and created an alliance against Lissouba. Tensions continued to rise as Kolelas, Lissouba and Sassou formed the Ninja, Cocoye, and Cobra militia respectively. The militia drew members from their leaders' ethnic and political backgrounds: the Mbochi supported Sassou, and the Nibolek and the Lari sided with Lissouba and Kolelas respectively.
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