Troubles in the Congo

Yesterday afternoon Rebels in the eastern part of the Congo (DRC)  took over the small town of Goma. To many, this is a conflict thousands of miles away in towns we've never heard of, involving people with names we simply cannot pronounce. 

But what happened yesterday in Goma is huge. Goma is the capital of the North Kivu province, and sits at the top of Lake Kivu, which seperates Rwanda and the DRC. Tension have been high in the eastern provinces for some time. It is home to the largest UN peacekeeping force on the planet, with over 17,000 troops on the ground. The ongoing conflict stems in part from the Rwandan genocide. Hutu's fled to Uganda and the Congo after the Rwandan genocide, because they feared retaliation from the Tutsi's who had been the target of the genocide. Some of these Hutu's formed militias, which Rwanda and a cultish group of rebels under the leadership of Laurent Nkuda have denounced. The Congolese armies have been collaborating with these militias and the government has failed to control them. Nkuda's group was formed in order to 'defend the Tutsi population' but Nkuda has recently expanded his mission to include the 'liberation of all of the Congo'. The population is largely unsympathetic to Nkuda's cause, and are resenting all Tutsi's in increasing numbers. 

Early Wednesday fire was exchanged along the border between Rwandan and Congolose militaries. Citizens began to flee the region and headed for Goma, a small city considered a safe haven for refugees. Nkuda and his rebels then advanced on Goma, but stopped short at the city gates. The citizens and refugees then began fleeing again, this time alongside the Congolese troops who are refusing to fight any longer. They are not being paid regularly and are exhausted from years of tension in the region. Nkuda agreed to a cease-fire with the UN troops left to defend Goma. 

UN officials have give the UN troops in Congo permission to defend the city from the rebels if need be. However, they have not been given permission to defend the city from Rwandan troops, who are rumored to be crossing the border and engaging in some of these firefights. There is an increasing sense of frustration with the UN among the civilian population who do not feel any safer with the troops there. 

The conflict is rife with ethnic tensions, international controversy and domestic problems. The UN, the Congolese Government and Nkuda have begun another round of peace negotiations, though many are cynical about its potential to change much on the ground. The last deal signed in January 2008 only lasted through August when tensions led to new rounds of violence. Many fear that if a stable solution is not worked out in coming months, the entire region will explode with ethnic and nationalistic violence- and that the presence of 17,000 UN troops will not be a sufficient international response.