The Congo War Is Expanding

That Other War -- Anjan Sundaram, Foreign Policy

The bloody conflict you didn't read about this week is in Congo, and it threatens to redraw the map of Africa.

KIGALI, Rwanda — One of Congo's biggest eastern cities fell to a powerful rebel force on Tuesday, Nov. 20, in a war that may redefine the region but has produced little political action by the United Nations, the United States, and international powers that heavily support neighboring governments -- notably Rwanda, a Western darling and aid recipient -- that are backing the violence, according to U.N. experts. The fighting has displaced nearly 1 million people since the summer, and the battle for the city of Goma marks the latest episode of a long struggle by Rwandan-backed rebels to take control of a piece of the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- a struggle the rebels are now decisively winning. The fighting has also highlighted the ineptitude of the United Nations mission, one of the world's largest and most expensive, charged with keeping Congo's peace.

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My Comment: The reality on what happened this week cannot be hidden .... the Congo military collapsed, and the UN was completely ineffective in blunting the rebel assault. The only thing that is stopping the rebels from moving forward is that they are too few in numbers, and the country is too large for them to conquer. I expect them to now consolidate their positions, and to then seek an agreement that would give them effective control of the eastern part of the country.