Six-Day War (2000)

Six-Day War
Part of the Second Congo War

Memorial cemetery of the Guerre des Six Jours of 2000
Date5–10 June 2000
Location
Result

UN-brokered ceasefire

  • Rwanda maintains control over Simsimi Airport
  • Uganda asked by the UN to withdraw north to Bafasende
  • Capture of Ugandan senior officers, in contravention of the ceasefire
Belligerents
 Rwanda  Uganda
Commanders and leaders
Emmanuel Karenzi Karake James Kazini[1]
Casualties and losses
2 brigades destroyed ~600–700 killed (estimate)[2]
Total casualties (estimate):[3]
1,576 killed
3,000 wounded

The Six-Day War (French: Guerre des Six Jours) was a series of armed confrontations between Ugandan and Rwandan forces around the city of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 5 to 10 June 2000. The war formed part of the wider Second Congo War (1998–2003).

Kisangani was also a scene of violence between Rwandan and Ugandan troops in August 1999 and 5 May 2000. However, the conflicts of June 2000 were the most lethal and seriously damaged a large part of the city, with more than 6,600 rounds fired.[4]

According to Justice et Libération, a human rights organisation based in Kisangani, the violence resulted in around 1,000 deaths and wounded at least 3,000, the majority of whom were civilians.[3] An entire brigade was wiped out at Bangoka Airport and another was destroyed at Simsimi Airport and the Sotexki textile industry.[citation needed]

In culture

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The 2020 documentary film "Downstream to Kinshasa" (French: En route pour le milliard) by director Dieudo Hamadi centers on survivors of the Six-Day War, in which the victims travel to Kinshasa to seek compensation from the government.[5][6][7]

References

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  1. ^ Hranjski, Hrvoje (12 June 2000). "Rwanda Routs Uganda in Congo Battle". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Uganda Correspondent". Uganda Correspondent. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b La Guerre des Six Jours Archived 10 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, P. André Balusia, Monfortain, afriqueespoire.com.
  4. ^ Kisangani : commémoration du 6e anniversaire de la guerre de six jours, David Tshiala, Le Potentiel, 15 juin 2006.
  5. ^ Independent, The (8 June 2020). "Trauma lingers from DR Congo's 'Six-Day War,' 20 years on". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  6. ^ "TIFF 2020: Downstream to Kinshasa Review – Point of View Magazine". povmagazine.com. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  7. ^ Vourlias, Christopher (26 June 2020). "'Downstream to Kinshasa,' First Congolese Film in Cannes Official Selection, Honors Resilience of War Victims". Variety. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
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