Tariki ya 4 Kanama 1998, nibwo habaye Operation Kitona yamamaye cyane kugeza nubwo yigishwa mu mashuri, mu mirwano yari imaze igihe irimo ingabo z’u Rwanda na Uganda zarwanaga n’ingabo za DRC zifatanyije n’ingabo z’bihugu bya SADEC, Operasion Kitona cyari igitero kidasanzwe cyayobowe na Jenerali Jemes Kabarebe w’u Rwanda, mu ntambara ya Congo ya kabiri ubwo intambara yari igeze Bas-Congo.
U Rwanda rwari rwizeye gukuraho Laurent-Désiré Kabila no gushyiraho guverinoma yagombaga gushimangira inyungu z’u Rwanda mu kwigarurira vuba bitagoranye Kinshasa n’intara y’iburengerazuba ya Bas-Congo, ku ya 4 Kanama 1998, ingabo z’u Rwanda na Uganda zagabye igitero gitunguranye ku birindiro bya Kitona mu Burengerazuba bwa Kongo hakoreshejwe indege za gisivili .
Mu gutegura iki gitero, hari indege ya Boing727 yarimo yitegura kugwa ku kibuga cy’indege cya Kitona yari itwaye ingabo z’u Rwanda na Uganda kandi itari ku rutonde ruzwi rw’indege zagombaga kugwa kuri icyo kibuga. Mu gihe kandi nta numwe witeguraga kumenya ibigiye kuba, abakomando b’ingabo z’u Rwanda bari bagiye gukora igikorwa gitunguranye cyane kizagarukwaho mu mateka y’ibikorwa bidasanzwe byakoranywe ubuhanga bwa gisirikare.
Izindi ndege zikaba zari mu nzira ziva i Goma zizanye abandi basirikare b’inkorokoro bagombaga gufata umujyi wa Kinshasa. Iyi operasiyo yiswe Kitona, yari iyobowe na Jenerali Jemes Kabarebe inzobere ku ntambara zo ku butaka ikaba yarigamije gukura ku butegetsi Laurent Kabila i Kinshasa.
Byari byagenze gute ngo habeho iki gitero cya Kitona?
Nyuma y’uko Laurent Kabila, afashe ubutegetsi abifashijwemo n’u Rwanda na Uganda mu 1997 yashyizeho Jenerali Kabarebe nk’umugaba mukuru w’ingabo za Congo icyo gihe, Jenerali Kabarebe wavutse mu 1959, afatwa nk’umusirikare ukomeye cyane wagaragaye mu byiciro bitatu by’intambara zabaye mu kubohora Uganda, guhagarika Jeneoside yakorewe Abatutsi ndetse no gukuraho ubutegetsi bwa perezida Mobutu wayoboraga Zaïre aho icyo gihe yarafite ipeti rya Colonel.
Kabila yari yaragiriwe icyizere na Uganda n’u Rwanda mu rwego rw’inyungu u Rwanda rwari rufite zo gusenya FDLR umutwe wari umaze gukora Jenoside mu Rwanda. Nyuma yo gufata ubutegetsi, Laurent Kabila yaje kutumvikana nabari bamufashije guhirika Mobutu, maze yirukana Kabarebe i Kinshasa wari ushinzwe ingabo za Congo nshya.
Kabila yatangiye gufunga ndetse no kwibasira abasirikare bakomoka mu burasirazuba bwa Congo bavuga ikinyarwanda. Kabarebe akimara kugaruka mu Rwanda, Goma na Bukavu byafashwe ijoro rimwe. Kuwa 2 Kanama 1998, ingabo za Congo i Goma zahise zitangaza intambara kuri Kinshasa, muri ako kanya Jenerali Jemes Kabarebe yarimo ategura gufata umujyi wa Kinshasa muri Km 1600 ahagurutse i Goma.
Operation Kitona
Kabarebe nkuwayoboye ingabo za Congo yari azi neza igice cya Kitona nk’irembo rihambaye ku mujyi wa Kinshasa, Kitona niho hari urugomero rwa Inga rumwe mu ngomero z’amashanyarazi zikomeye muri Afurika,Operasiyo Kitona yari gukurura abahoze bashyigikiye Mobutu ndetse nabamwe mu Banyekongo bavuga ikinyarwanda bari mu gisirikare bari batangiye kwibasirwa.
Abasirikare bari bigumuye kuri Kinshasa i Goma bahise begeranywa muri operasiyo Jenerali Kabarebe yarimo ategura.Indege ya gisivile ya Boing 727 yari i Goma niyo yifashishijwe mu gukusanya ingabo z’u Rwanda, Uganda ndetse n’intoranywa za Congo abanyamateka bavuga ko bose hamwe indege ya mbere yari itwaye bageraga ku 180.
Officier Butera bivugwa ko ariwe wahawe itegeko ryo kubwira pilote guhagurutsa indege, indege ya mbere ikimara kugera ku kibuga cy’indege cya Kitona, igitero cyari gitangiye ku buryo gufata ikibuga byahise byihuta cyane,ingabo za Uganda zirasa ibitwaro bya rutura zahise zifata inyengero z’ikibuga mu burengerazuba bwacyo ahitwa Banana mu nkegero z’icyambu.
Jenerali Kabarebe yarafunze inzira ihuza inyanja ndetse n’umujyi wa Kinshasa,kuwa 10 Kanama 1998 icyambu cya Boma cyari kimaze kugenzurwa cyose. Kuwa 13 Kanama 1998 urugomero rw’amashanyarazi rwa Inga rwari rumaze kugwa mu maboko ya Jenerali Kabarebe, mu gihe umunsi ukurikiyeho amashanyarazi yahagaritswe maze umujyi wa Kinshasa ugwa mu icuraburindi.
Mu minsi 6 gusa ingabo zari zirimo kwerekeza i Kinshasa zivuye Kitona aho nta mbaraga zikomeye zahuraga nazo,ingabo za Congo zari zamaze gucika intege ndetse zifite n’akajagari,zatangiye guhungira mu mashyamba mu gihe Kabarebe n’ingabo ze zari zifite umuvuduko udasanzwe kuko kuwa 17 Kanama 1998 zari zimaze kugera mu nkengero za Kinshasa.
Hagati aho perezida Laurent Kabira yari yamaze guhungira mu mujyi wa Rubumbashi aho yari yatangiye gutabaza ibihugu by’inshuti bya SADEC.Kuwa 22 Kanama 1998, ba perezida Robert Mugabe, José Eduardo dos Santos na Samuel Nujoma ba Zimbabwe, Angola na Namibia bahise bitabira gutabara Kabila. Angola yifuzaga gufata ibice bya Kitona kugira ngo ibashe guhashya umutwe wa Jonas Savimbi iwuturutse inyuma. Angola nanone yifuzaga kugaragara nk’umukinnyi ugomba guhindura ibintu mu karere.
Mugabe wa Zimbabwe nawe yifuzaga kugira uruhare mu ntambara ndetse no kungukira ku butunzi bwa Congo yari yiboneye byoroshye dore ko igihugu cye cyari cyafatiwe ibihano n’abazungu. Mu gihe Uganda, u Rwanda n’u Burundi bari binjijye mu ntambara mu rwego rwo kurwanya imitwe yahungabanyaga ubutegetsi muri ibyo bihugu.
Ingabo za Zimbabwe zahise zoherezwa i Kinshasa kurinda ikibuga cy’indege cya Njilii cyari mu kaga ko gufatwa. Ingabo za Angola ibihumbi n’ibimodoka by’imitamenwa byinjiriye Kitona kugira ngo bifunge umusada wagombaga kuza kunganira Jenerali Kabarebe wari wamaze gusatira ikibuga cy’indege cya Kinshasa. Intambara yacaga ibintu hafi y’umujyi wa Kinshasa ku kibuga cy’indege, mu gihe radiyo zatangazaga amagambo y’urwago yo kwibasira abanyarwanda ndetse n’Abanyanyamurenge.
Jenerali Kabarebe mu guhangana n’indege z’ingabo za Zimbabwe na Angola yari yabinjiriye hagati, ndetse ku ngano nkeya yarafite bitewe nuko umusada wavaga kure yahisemo guhindura umuvuno.Kabarebe yahisemo kwinjira muri Angola bityo afata ikibuga cy’indege cyari hafi aho hanyuma atumaho indege zari gucyura abasirikare kugera i Kigali.
Izi ngabo zafashe ikibuga cy’indege cya Manuiela de Zombo aho zacyongereye ku girango indege nini zibashe kuhagwa.Indege zatangiye gutunda abasirikare zibagarura i Kigali, mu gihe ingabo zari zishyigikiye Mobutu zari ziyunze kuri operasiyo Kitona zimwe zasubiye mu miryango yazo izindi zerekeza gufasha Savimbi.
Operasiyo Kitona yigwa mu mashuri ya gisirikare ku isi, yasize amateka kuko niyo yavuyemo intambara yiswe intambara ya gatatu y’isi nyafurika. Intambara ya kabiri ya Congo tuzaguma kugarukaho muri uru ruhererekane rw’inkuru.
