A timeline of the DR Congo conflict
The key moments, from independence to today.
A short guide to the events that shaped the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 1960 — Congo gains independence from Belgium. Political turmoil follows almost immediately.
- 1965 — Mobutu Sese Seko seizes power, later renaming the country Zaire and ruling for three decades.
- 1994 — The genocide in neighbouring Rwanda sends around a million Hutu refugees into eastern Zaire, destabilising the region.
- 1996–1997 — The First Congo War: Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebels overthrow Mobutu. Laurent-Désiré Kabila takes power; the country is renamed the DRC.
- 1998–2003 — The Second Congo War — "Africa's World War" — draws in nine countries. An estimated five million people die, mostly from disease and hunger.
- 2003 — A peace deal creates a transitional government, but fighting continues in the east.
- 2012 — The M23 rebellion briefly captures Goma before withdrawing under international pressure.
- 2013 — A UN intervention brigade helps the Congolese army defeat M23, which goes dormant.
- 2021–2022 — M23 re-emerges and seizes territory in North Kivu. UN experts report Rwandan backing; Rwanda denies it.
- 2025 — M23 advances on and captures Goma, sharply escalating the conflict and displacing hundreds of thousands more people.
This timeline is updated as events develop. For day-to-day coverage, see our latest news.