Sultani Makenga Explained

Sultani Makenga
Birth Date:25 December 1973
Birth Place:Rutshuru, North Kivu, Zaire [1]
Nationality:Congolese
Years Active:1990–present

General Sultani Makenga (born 25 December 1973 in Rutshuru, DRC Congo) is a Congolese rebel leader and the military chief[2] of the March 23 Movement (M23), a revolutionary group based in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Makenga is an ethnic Tutsi and was raised in North Kivu.[3] He fought for the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the Rwandan Civil War.[3]

Earlier history

Sultani joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front in 1990 and fought in the Rwandan civil war. Sultani was involved in several other Congolese conflicts including the First Congo War and the National Congress for the Defence of the People rebellion.

M23 rebellions (2012-present)

See also: M23 rebellion.

Sanctions were introduced against him by the United Nations Security Council in November 2012.[4] This was quickly followed by further sanctions from the United States for recruiting of child soldiers.[5] [6] He has denied that M23 used child soldiers, characterizing the accusations from those such as Human Rights Watch as propaganda. He has denied accusations that the M23 rebellion is backed by Rwanda.[4] His faction of the M23 have clashed with those loyal to its political leader, Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero.[2] In May 2013, the M23 clashed with FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and there were rumors that Makenga was badly wounded.

On November 7, 2013, after the M23 was defeated by the FARDC backed by the UN FIB (Force Intervention Brigade), Makenga surrendered with hundreds of M23 fighters in Mgahinga National Park, Uganda.[7] [8] He and his troops are held in a secret location.[7]

In November 2016, Sultani left a demobilization camp in Uganda, and his whereabouts became unknown.[9] In early 2017, he tried to restart a guerilla war in the DRC with 200 men. He succeeded and some of his militants were even hired by the Ugandan government to crush protests.[10]

According to a 2024 report from the UN group of experts, Sultani was traveling to Uganda and received active support for the M23 from the Ugandan military.[11] In August 2024, Sultani was sentenced to death in absentia by a Congolese military court.[12] [13]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: African . New . Makenga: 'In Brief, My Life Is War' . New African Magazine . 2013-02-15 . 2024-09-02.
  2. News: DR Congo: M23's Makenga and Runiga factions 'clash'. bbcnews.com. 3 March 2013. 25 February 2013. 28 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130228065145/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21578357. live.
  3. News: Profile: Sultani Makenga, DR Congo's M23 leader . 29 August 2021 . BBC News . 7 November 2013 . 29 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210829063800/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24849919 . live .
  4. News: DR Congo's M23 rebels threaten to march to Kinshasa. bbcnews.com. 2012-11-21. 2012-11-21. 2012-11-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20121121181839/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20427682. live.
  5. Web site: DR Congo: US sanctions M23 rebel leader Sultani Makenga . BBC News . 2012-11-14 . 2024-09-02.
  6. Web site: Treasury Designates Congolese Militant Leader . U.S. Department of the Treasury . 2012-06-19 . 2024-09-02.
  7. News: DR Congo's M23 rebel chief Sultani Makenga 'surrenders'. BBC News. 7 November 2013. 7 November 2013. 12 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612222955/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24849814. live.
  8. Web site: David . Smith . Defeated Congolese rebel leader captured in Uganda, officials say . The Guardian . 7 November 2013 . 7 November 2013 . 9 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109110832/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/07/congolese-rebel-leader-sultani-makenga-captured . live .
  9. Web site: Bavier . Joe . Ex-Congo rebel leader missing, gunfire erupts in border town . Reuters . 2016-11-13 . 2024-09-02.
  10. News: RDC : que devient Sultani Makenga, l'ancien chef rebelle du M23 ?. fr. Jeune Afrique. 10 September 2018. 14 April 2019. 25 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190325121436/https://www.jeuneafrique.com/mag/626449/politique/rdc-que-devient-sultani-makenga-lancien-chef-rebelle-du-m23/. live.
  11. Web site: Rolley . Sonia . Uganda provided support to M23 rebels in Congo, UN report says . Reuters . 2024-07-08 . 2024-09-02.
  12. Web site: DR Congo military court sentences 26 armed group members to death . Al Jazeera . 2024-08-09 . 2024-09-02.
  13. Web site: Ilunga . Patrick . DRC military court sentences Nangaa, M23 leaders to hang . The East African . 2024-08-08 . 2024-09-02.

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