The Great African War
Congo and Regional Geopolitics, 1996–2006

Examines a decade-long period of instability, violence and state decay in Central Africa from 1996 to 2006.

Filip Reyntjens (Author)

9780521111287, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 August 2009

340 pages
23.4 x 15.7 x 2.6 cm, 0.59 kg

"Filip Reyntjens... has written an intelligent and well-structured book. The Great African War provides a very factual and dense account of the violent evolution of Zaire—the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 1997—in its regional setting, from the first war of 1996 to the general elections of 2006.... Reyntjens presents an orderly, in-depth analysis of a very complex and multifaceted episode in this region’s troubled history." - Steven Schouten, International Affairs

This book examines a decade-long period of instability, violence and state decay in Central Africa from 1996, when the war started, to 2006, when elections formally ended the political transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A unique combination of circumstances explain the unravelling of the conflicts: the collapsed Zairian/Congolese state; the continuation of the Rwandan civil war across borders; the shifting alliances in the region; the politics of identity in Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DRC; the ineptitude of the international community; and the emergence of privatised and criminalised public spaces and economies. This book seeks to provide an in-depth analysis of concurrent developments in Zaire/DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda in African and international contexts. By adopting a non-chronological approach, it attempts to show the dynamics of the inter-relationships between these realms and offers a toolkit for understanding the past and future of Central Africa.

Introduction
1. A region in turmoil
2. 'The war of liberation'
3. The massacre of the Rwandan refugees
4. The fall of the Mobutist state
5. The Congo, waiting for another war
6. Impasse in Rwanda and Burundi
7. 'The first African world war'
8. Negotiating the transition
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: 21st century history: from c 2000 - [HBLX], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], African history [HBJH]