 The FAC performed poorly throughout the Second Congo War and " demonstrated little skill or recognisable military doctrine " . At the outbreak of the war in 1998 the Army was ineffective and the DRC Government was forced to rely on assistance from Angola , Chad , Namibia and Zimbabwe . As well as providing expeditionary forces , these countries unsuccessfully attempted to retrain the DRC Army . North Korea and Tanzania also provided assistance with training . During the first year of the war the Allied forces defeated the Rwandan force which had landed in Bas @-@ Congo and the rebel forces south @-@ west of Kinshasa and eventually halted the rebel and Rwandan offensive in the east of the DRC . These successes contributed to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement which was signed in July 1999 . Following the Lusaka Agreement , in mid @-@ August 1999 President Kabila issued a decree dividing the country into eight military regions . The first military region , Congolese state television reported , would consist of the two Kivu provinces , Orientale Province would form the second region , and Maniema and Kasai @-@ Oriental provinces the third . Katanga and <unk> would fall under the fourth and fifth regions , respectively , while Kasai @-@ Occidental and Bandundu would form the sixth region . Kinshasa and Bas @-@ Congo would form the seventh and eighth regions , respectively . In November 1999 the Government attempted to form a 20 @,@ 000 @-@ strong paramilitary force designated the People 's Defence Forces . This force was intended to support the FAC and national police but never became effective . 
