Second Congo War
Large multi-state war centered on Congo, with regional armies and rebel movements fighting across the Great Lakes system.
Historical overview
Overview adapted from a Wikipedia summary and stored locally on May 11, 2026.
The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War or the Great War of Africa, was a major conflict that began on 2 August 1998, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just over a year after the First Congo War. The war initially erupted when Congolese president Laurent-Désiré Kabila turned against his former allies from Rwanda and Uganda, who had helped him seize power. The conflict expanded as Kabila rallied a coalition of other countries to his defense. The war drew in nine African nations and approximately 25 armed groups, making it one of the largest wars in African history.
Theater countries
Actors
Tags
Border context
Post-Cold War state breakup
The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia collapse, producing new borders, new states and violent secession wars.
The Balkans and Caucasus become major border-change theaters. The Gulf War restores Kuwait's sovereignty after Iraqi occupation.Post-9/11 intervention era
Counterterror wars, state-building campaigns and unresolved post-Soviet disputes dominate the early twenty-first-century map.
Afghanistan and Iraq become the central intervention theaters. Congo, Darfur and the Caucasus remain active conflict zones.