SADC DRC Operation Sovereign Legitimacy Medal.

SADC DRC Operation Sovereign Legitimacy Medal.

Since its independence in 1960, the DRC has been a site of continuous attempts at conflict resolution. Several peace processes and conflict interventions have been undertaken in the DRC, including political and diplomatic efforts leading to negotiations between warring parties; peacekeeping interventions; and stabilization missions. As early as 1998, SADC intervened in the DRC through a combination of military intervention and mediation. In 1998, there was a military intervention from three SADC countries Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe under the auspices of the SADC Allied Forces. This intervention was authorized by the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation (SADC Troika), which was then chaired by Zimbabwe. The intervention came shortly after the invasion of the DRC by Rwanda and Uganda, and the subsequent request by the then-president of the country, Laurent Kabila, for SADC to assist him with curbing the aggression from neighbours. Under the auspices of the SADC Allied Forces, the military intervention was codenamed Operation Sovereign Legitimacy (OSLEG). Its objectives were to ward off rebels (which were notably sponsored by Rwanda and Uganda), to secure the DRC territory, and to protect civilians.