Draft:Congo Wars

The Congo Wars, also known as the African World Wars, were a series of conflicts primarily taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with significant spillover in surrounding countries. The Congo Wars are composed of two related conflicts: the First Congo War, which lasted from 1996 to 1997 and resulted in the overthrow of long-time dictator Joseph Mobutu, and the Second Congo War, which lasted from 1998 to 2003 and involved a large number of other African countries; the Second Congo War is considered the bloodiest conflict since World War II. The tensions that led to the Congo Wars had been building for years due to unresolved conflicts during the however, tensions really began to flare up after the region was destabilized due to the Rwandan Genocide, which resulted in many of the perpetrators escaping into Eastern Congo. Despite the wars officially being over, fighting is still ongoing in many parts of the country.