Zaire with the Zairian armed forces (FAZ) to launch a campaign against Congolese ethnic Tutsis in eastern Zaire, known as the Banyamulenge. In turn, these Zairian Tutsis formed a militia to defend themselves against attacks. When the Zairian government began to escalate its massacres in November 1996, the Tutsi militias erupted in rebellion against Mobutu, starting what would become known as the First Congo War. The Tutsi militia was soon joined by various opposition groups and supported by several countries, including Rwanda and Uganda. This coalition, led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila, became known as the Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération
2nd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment (United States) designation, with its parent regiment being redesignated as the 27th Field Artillery on 1 September 1971. The battalion was based at Ray Barracks, Friedberg, Germany, as a direct support unit for the 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Armored Division, armed with the 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. It included three batteries with six howitzers each. On 16 January 1988, the 2-27th was inactivated and relieved from its assignment to the 3rd Armored. Its personnel and equipment were transferred to the simultaneously reactivated 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery. 2nd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment (United States) The 2nd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery