Memories of the Second Congo War

By Blessed Jonhera

This exciting book is a real-life story about Blessed Jonhera, who participated in the Congo War with the Zimbabwean army as an infantry platoon commander. This war which was famously referred to as "The Second Congo War", was fought from 1998 to 2003. Blessed, arrived in the Congo in June 1999, just after hostilities had started to de-escalate but still found the situation volatile. Still fresh from the officers' training academy, he found himself at the thick-end of the war. Together with his colleagues, they quickly adapted to the tense environment in the area around Kabalo bridge. The allied forces positions at Katutu, Ndeya and Kabumba were subjected to daily artillery bombardments by the rebel forces. As the war progressed, the allied forces retaliated by air dropping highly explosive bombs nicknamed 'goma bombs' on the enemy positions at Kabalo and in areas around Goma. Blessed demonstrates the excitement that was generated by the first air raid on the enemy position at Kabalo town in this extract from his book;'At roughly 2130 hours, the battalion second-in-command who had been taking a smoke break outside, came running to the entrance of the command post. With one leg inside and his head turned up towards the dark sky, he told us to come outside. Once we were outside, we noticed very dim lights from two high flying objects which by now had just gone past our position in the direction of Kabalo town. "Gentlemen, it is happening now!" the Major shouted excitedly. He was jumping up and down like a small child, but I could understand why he had been overcome by such excitement. If the rebel strongholds at Kabalo and Zouff were bombed into submission, this would mean the end of the artillery shelling on Katutu and the other allied defensive positions.'These destructive bombs caused wide spread deaths and suffering on the rebels' side. A few days after the bombs fell, the rebels began to surrender in large numbers.The war in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo involved a lot of foot patrols especially on the allied forces side. Territories needed to be dominated and the only way to achieve this, was to conduct long range foot patrols. These patrols could last for more than three days, and the men had to endure heavy rains and high temperatures in the equatorial climate. Dangerous river crossings under the ever-present threat of rebel ambushes were a phenomenon. Blessed, was involved in many of these patrols and had close encounters with the rebel forces in Kasenga Mpete and at Kabumba.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1717970745
• ISBN13: 9781717970749
• Release Date: July 2018
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"