Congo On The Brink Of A New Civil War

IBTimes: New War In Congo? Protests, Violence Raise Fears Of Fresh Conflict In Sub-Saharan Africa's Largest Country

Demonstrations erupted Monday in cities across the Democratic Republic of Congo as authorities attempted to contain public resistance toward President Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down from office after his term expires at midnight.

Security forces reportedly responded by deploying in large numbers, arresting scores of activists and suspending the country's internet service. Protests struck the eastern city of Guma and the capital, where authorities faced off with crowds waving red cards against Kabila at Kinshasa University. In the northeastern city of Butembo, armed militias raided a jail in an attempt to free prisoners.

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More News On The Crisis In Congo

Protests erupt in Congo capital, police fire tear gas -- Reuters
Troops deploy in tense DR Congo as leader's mandate expires -- AFP
Military deploys across Congo's capital as Kabila stays on -- AP
Security forces deploy in Congo in anticipation of big anti-government protests -- Washington Post
Congo Braces for Unrest as President Refuses to Leave Office -- WSJ
Protests, gunfire erupt in Congo as president clings to power delaying elections -- The Sydney Morning Herald
Congo-Kinshasa: Internet Shut, Phone Network Scrambled Hours Before Kabila Becomes Illegal President -- Zambia Reports
Congo on a knife-edge as opposition leader calls for Kabila to step down -- The Guardian
The Democratic Republic of Congo's Political Crisis: The Key Players -- Newsweek
AP Explains: Why tensions are spiking in Congo today -- AP

The Congolese Army Has Launched A Military Campaign Against The Ugandan Rebel Group ADF-NALU

Uganda's Heart Of Darkness -- Al Jazeera

The Congolese army defeated the M23 fighters but their next target, Ugandan group ADF-NALU is a different challenge.

Deep in the forested gullies of the Rwenzori mountains that run along the Congolese border with Uganda, the Congo-based Ugandan rebel group, ADF-NALU, a coalition of the Allied Democratic Forces and National Army for the Liberation of Uganda, have built a fighting force that is obscured by a culture of secrecy and multiple layers.

The Allied Democratic Forces originated in Uganda and was shaped by an alliance of disparate groups, marginalised after the fall of Idi Amin.

Their common thread was a desire to overthrow Uganda's President Museveni that was wrapped up in a complex mix of Tablighi ideology, and political struggles within the borderland kingdoms of Rwenzori and Toro.

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More News On Congo's Military Campaign Against The Ugandan Rebel Group ADF-NALU

Scores killed as attacks escalate in Democratic Republic of Congo -- Al Jazeera
Rebel group attack kills 40 in eastern Congo -- Reuters
DR Congo: Attack In North Kivu Kills Scores Of Civilians -- Eurasia Review
Congolese, UN take back town from Ugandan rebels -- Washington Post/AP
Congo: More Angry Guys With Guns Show Up -- Strategy Page

With Congo's M23 Rebel Group Defeated, The Focus Shifts To The Other Rebel Groups

Peacekeepers In Congo To Focus On Another Rebel Group -- New York Times

UNITED NATIONS — Having helped rout one powerful rebel group in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations peacekeepers are expected to turn their attention to subduing another, diplomats said Wednesday, as the Security Council prepared to draft a statement on the next steps in that vast, mineral-rich country.

The move could be instrumental in bringing some stability to a region reeling from what has seemed like endless war.

The United Nations has sent its largest peacekeeping mission to the country, including a 3,000-strong intervention brigade with a new, more aggressive approach to peacekeeping. Rather than protecting civilians in imminent peril, it is charged with going on the offensive and “neutralizing armed groups” before they cause more harm.

United Nations troops have already aided the Congolese Army in fighting the M23, a feared rebel group, which United Nations experts have said is supported by Rwanda.

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More News On United Nations Peacekeepers Focusing On The Other Congo Rebel Movements

After crushing M23, Kinshasa sets sights on Hutu rebels -- AFP
Congo UN chief: Fight to now focus on other groups -- Salon/AP
After Congo rebels end fight, residents fear return of hostilities, other armed groups -- Washington Post/AP
Congo's FDLR rebels now in peacekeepers' sights: U.N. Security Council -- Reuters
Rwandan Envoy Urges DRC, UN to Tackle FDLR Rebels -- Voice of America
UN reiterates need to neutralize armed groups in DRC -- SABC
M23's decline raises hopes of DR Congo peace -- Moses Rono, BBC
Why peace promise won't end Congo's troubles -- Vava Tampa, Special to CNN

DR Congo Battles Continue Despite Recent Ceasefire Offers

DR Congo Battles Rage Despite Ceasefire Offer -- Al Jazeera

Army accuses M23 rebels of bombing civilians despite declaration they would lay down their weapons.

Fighting continues to rage in the Democratic Republic of Congo despite M23 rebels calling for a ceasefire and international efforts to end the bloodshed.

The country's army accused the rebels of bombing the frontier town of Bunagana and said it showed the ceasefire declaration of the M23 rebel group at the weekend was worthless.

"This is not fighting, it is bombs launched by M23 targeting the population of Bunagana," said Colonel Olivier Hamuli, an army spokesman. "They are targeting civilians."

Citing Congolese military sources, the UN-backed Radio Okapi said on its website that four civilians had been killed and 10 wounded in Bunagana on Monday.

The rebels said they were ready to sign a peace deal, but had been attacked with heavy weapons.

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More News On The Continuing Conflict In Eastern DRC

Fighting Continues in DRC Despite Calls for Cease-Fire -- Voice of America
Congo M23 Rebels Shell Border Town as Peace Talks Falter -- Wall Street Journal
Congo army, rebels clash near border despite peace calls -- Reuters
Refugees Flee to Uganda to Escape Renewed DRC Violence -- Voice of America
Congo fighting intensifies forcing thousands across border as shells land in Uganda, injure 5 -- FOX News/AP
DR Congo's Bunagana town 'empty' as army presses M23 -- BBC
Congo Government: M23 Ceasefire Offer Not Enough -- Voice of America

Is There Reason For Hope To End Congo's Perpetual Civil War

New York Times

A Reason for Hope in Congo’s Perpetual War -- New York Times

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Rocket after rocket ripped across the sky. By Saturday evening, after two straight days of pitched battle with artillery, tanks and mortars, the Congolese Army had driven the M23 rebels out of the strategic town of Kibumba.

“We are victorious,” sang ecstatic soldiers from the back of a truck as dusk fell. “We are the winners.”

The officers were more circumspect.

“It’s not finished yet,” said the commander, Maj. Gen. Bahuma Ambamba, adding that the area was still being cleared.

Still, the battle was a dramatic turnaround from barely a year ago, when the rebels had the upper hand. Ill-disciplined, corrupt and often drunk, the Congolese soldiers were only somewhat more popular than the mutineer rebels who had taken up arms against them.

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My Comment: After decades of war. Millions dead. Millions of refugees. peace is about to break out. Sighhhh .... I do not see it.

Renewed Fighting In Eastern Congo Raises Fears That The Conflict Will Spread

U.S. Says Renewed Congo Fighting Risks Engulfing Region -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The United States said on Monday renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between the army and M23 rebels risked dragging neighboring countries into the conflict and it urged all sides to return to the negotiating table.

Following two months of relative calm in the region, fighting flared last Friday after peace talks in neighboring Uganda broke down when M23 rebels demanded an amnesty for their leaders. President Joseph Kabila has ruled out a blanket pardon.

Three days of army victories have raised the prospect that it could defeat Congo's most important rebel group, ending a 20-month uprising which has displaced tens of thousands of people, but Washington's special envoy for the region urged restraint.

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More News On The Escalating Conflict In Eastern Congo

US warns DR Congo fighting could escalate into regional war -- Global Post/AFP
DR Congo soldiers recapture Rumangabo from M23 rebels -- BBC
Congo Army Regains Town of Rumangabo -- ABC News/AP
DR Congo troops gain ground against M23 rebels -- Global Post/AFP
Congolese Army Claims Capture of Towns in Eastern DRC -- Voice of America
U.N. peacekeeper killed in Africa -- CNN
Congo army says it captured rebel stronghold; peacekeeper killed -- Reuters
M23 Must Disarm or Face More Attacks: Congolese Minister -- Voice of America
UN to hold emergency session on DR Congo war -- Al Jazeera
UN to Discuss DRC as Army Takes Towns From Rebels -- Voice of America
In Kampala: Congo and M23 agree on almost everything before talks collapse -- Jason Stearns, Christian Science Monitor

War Returns To The Eastern Congo

New Clashes Between Government, M23 Rebels In DRC -- Voice of America

Renewed fighting has broken out between government and rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, just days after peace talks were suspended.

Both sides say the fighting began early Friday in Kanyamohoro, near the eastern city of Goma.

The Congolese army and rebel group M23 accuse each other of launching the first attacks.

Troops with the U.N. mission in Congo, known as MONUSCO, are reported to be standing by, ready to intervene if necessary.

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More News On The New Clashes Between Government, M23 Rebels In DRC

Rebels and Congo army clash; Rwanda says it was shelled -- Reuters
Clashes between rebels, army resume in DR Congo -- Global Post/AFP
Renewed fighting breaks out in east Congo after government-rebel peace talks stall -- Washington Post/AP
Heavy Clashes in East Congo After Talks Stall -- Authintmail

Democratic Republic Of Congo Refugee Crisis Is Now Out Of Control As The Civil War Escalates

BBC

DRC Refugee Crisis Out Of Control -- UPI

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The International Organization for Migration said the refugee crisis in parts of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is out of control.

The U.N. Stabilization Mission in DRC, known by its French initials MONUSCO, said this week it stepped up its activity in response to fighting among at least four armed groups in eastern DRC.

One of the groups, the March 23 Movement, is suspected of committing crimes against humanity. M23 leader Bosco Ntaganda surrendered to the International Criminal Court this year to face war crimes charges.

Flora Camain, a spokeswoman for IOM, told the U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks the refugee crisis emerging from the conflict was out of control.

"Goma [the capital of North Kivu province] is full," she said. "There's no room left."

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More News On The Conflict In Eastern DRC

UN Combat Brigade Fires on Congo Rebel Positions -- Voice of America/Reuters
UN troops fight in DR Congo after four civilians killed -- FOX News/AFP
UN intervention brigade fires on east Congo M23 rebel positions, Congo army says -- Washington Post/AP
UN troops in DR Congo shell M23 rebels near Goma -- BBC
Congo Clashes Leave 17 Rebels Dead; Civilians Are Killed in Goma -- Bloomberg Businessweek
UN troops fight in DRC after civilians die -- News24
Fighting Resumes Outside Goma in DRC -- Voice of America
Guns, Tanks and Wounded Men—This Battle Is Raging NOW -- David Axe, War Is Boring

DR Congo On The Brink Of War

DR Congo 'On Brink Of Major Conflict' -- Al Jazeera

Head of UN mission in Congo says peacekeeping force is "urgently needed" to combat armed rebel groups in country's east.

Democratic Republic of Congo's resource-rich east is again on the brink of a major conflict, a senior UN official warned as he urged the UN Security Council to urgently approve plans for a peace enforcement unit to combat armed rebel groups.

Roger Meece, head of the UN mission in Congo known as MONUSCO, told the Security Council that the creation of a peace enforcement unit within the peacekeeping force - which would be a new move for the UN - was an "urgently needed and important response to the existing situation on the ground".

Peace enforcement missions allow the use of lethal force in serious combat situations, while peacekeeping operations are intended to support and monitor an already existing ceasefire, diplomats and UN officials say.

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Update: U.N. Says Congo Again on Brink, Peacekeepers Need to Combat Rebels -- New York Times/Reuters

My Comment: This conflict has been ongoing for decades .... and it looks like it will continue for decades more.

Peace Talks Between The DR Congo Government And Rebels Are On The Verge Of Breaking Down

M23 Rebels Threaten To Quit DR Congo Talks Over Ceasefire -- BBC

The M23 rebel group has threatened to pull out of peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo government unless President Joseph Kabila signs a ceasefire agreement.

Talks are due to start in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Friday.

A DRC government spokesman told the Reuters news agency it rejected a rebel demand he described as "pointless".

A first attempt to negotiate an end to the nine-month rebellion in the east of the country failed last month.

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More News On the Conflict In Eastern DR Congo

DRC, M23 Peace Talks to Resume in Uganda Friday -- Voice of America
Congo rebels demand government sign ceasefire for talks -- Reuters
Congo-Kinshasa: M23 Rebels Set Terms for Resumption of Talks -- allAfrica.com
DRC peace mission dispels rebel rumors -- UPI
U.S. Treasury Places Sanctions on Armed Groups in Congo -- Wall Street Journal
2 DRC militant groups subject to sanctions -- UPI
US targets armed groups operating in DR Congo -- Global Times
Rwandan rebels linked to DRC violence -- UPI
Uganda's hidden role in Congo's conflict -- Deutsche Welle

Security Council Imposes Sanctions On Two DR Congo Rebel Groups

UN Slaps Sanctions On DR Congo Rebels -- Al Jazeera

Security Council blacklists two rebel groups -M23 and FDLR - responsible for war crimes in conflict-ravaged eastern DRC.

The United Nations Security Council has slapped an arms embargo on M23 rebels and their alleged Rwandan allies, the FDLR, amid a flare-up of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern region.

The council committee tasked with monitoring sanctions on the Congo also imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on two key M23 figures: the group's civilian leader Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero and Lieutenant Colonel Eric Badege, a commander suspected of being responsible for the deaths of women and children.

The decision came just hours before Rwanda was set to join the council as a non-permanent member on Tuesday.

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More News On The Security Council Imposing Sanctions On Two DR Congo Rebel Groups

Rebel groups hit with U.N. sanctions over eastern Congo -- Reuters
DR Congo M23 rebels placed under UN sanctions -- BBC
U.N. Security Council imposes arms embargo on Congo rebels -- L.A. Times
UN hits DR Congo rebels with sanctions -- The Australian
UN imposes sanctions on DRC rebels -- Deutsche Welle
UN Sanctions DR Congo M23 Rebels -- RTT
DR Congo welcomes sanctions against rebels -- AFP
East DR Congo militia wants to join peace talks -- AFP
Congo Fighting Leaves A Fragile City On Edge -- NPR

Fears Of New Violence In Congo

Image: Rebels have been mobilizing in Masisi, north of Goma. The New York Times

Troops Mass In Fought-Over City, Raising Fear Of New Violence In Congo -- New York Times

NAIROBI, Kenya — Hundreds of troops from opposing sides have been moving into new positions around Goma, a strategic, contested city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, aid organizations said Sunday, raising worries of yet another explosion of violence.

Witnesses reported that truckloads of Rwandan soldiers recently crossed the border and were camped within 20 miles of Goma, which was captured last month and briefly occupied by a rebel force called the M23 movement. United Nations officials confirmed a sudden military buildup around Goma but said that they did not know the identities of the various groups of soldiers.

“It feels a bit like a boiling kettle, about to blow up,” said Thierry Goffeau, the leader of the mission in Goma for the aid organization Doctors Without Borders.

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More News On The Continuing Conflict In DR Congo

Congo President Kabila Wants Stronger UN Force to Fight Rebels -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Congo’s president vows reforms, calls on country to mobilize against aggression -- Washington Post/AP
Congo's Kabila says plans initiative to unite country -- Reuters
DR Congo leader says defence top priority -- AFP
Congo rebel group wants president to resign according to list of demands shown to AP -- Washington Post/AP
Uganda: UPDF Will Only Enter Congo to Fight ADF- Aronda -- allAfrica.com
More than 900,000 displaced in east DR Congo -- Capital FM
DR Congo fighting 'sees refugee numbers rise' -- BBC
Group: Refugees in eastern DRC increasing -- UPI
Rwanda schemed M23 rebellion for its benefit - UN expert -- Africa Review
A Timeline of 50 Years of Conflict in the D.R. of Congo -- Global Voices

A Look At The Many Rebel Factions In DR Congo

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

DR Congo's Rebel Kaleidoscope -- BBC

While the M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have dominated headlines in recent months, they are just one of more than two dozen armed groups fighting in this resource-rich region.

A new report by the aid agency Oxfam, published along with a remarkable map, shows that the recent unrest in Goma - a strategically important trading city - is just the tip of an iceberg of human suffering.

The M23 rebels, named after a 23 March 2009 failed peace agreement that they claim to want to implement, captured Goma nearly two weeks ago, before withdrawing with their loot to positions just outside the city at the weekend.

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My Comment: With more than 25 rebel factions operating in just two provinces of eastern DR Congo: North and South Kivu, it is easy to understand why this region is in so much chaos.

DR Congo Troops Re-Enter Goma. M23 Rebels Nearby

Congolese Troops Enter Goma -- Voice of America

Democratic Republic of Congo troops have returned to the eastern city of Goma, although rebels who occupied the city for nearly two weeks remain close by.

Reports from the area said about 600 army troops entered Goma Monday, while government officials also started to return.

​​The M23 rebel group pulled out of the city on Saturday after the brokering of a regional peace deal.

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More News On The War In Eastern Congo

Congo army returns to Goma as M23 demand negotiations -- BBC
Congo back in charge of Goma, U.N. fingers Rwanda again -- Reuters
DR Congo army returns to Goma -- Al Jazeera
Congo army troops return to Goma as rebels remain close -- FOX News/AP
Rwanda, Uganda helped DR Congo rebel offensive: UN experts -- AFP
Rwanda, Uganda helped Congo rebels -- The Australian
Congo's M23 rebels wait for 48-hour deadline to expire -- FOX News/AP
Situation tense in eastern DRC -- UPI
Goma residents fear renewed conflict -- Deutsche Welle
Congo rebels' withdrawal from Goma 'purely tactical', say analysts -- The Guardian
What Does the M23 Want? -- Melanie Gouby, Daily Beast

The Fight For Congo`s Mineral Wealth

Inside The Clash For Congo's Mineral Wealth -- Geoffrey York, New York Times

A few hours after rebel fighters swept into Goma last week, a mysterious convoy of six trucks rumbled up to the Rwandan border on the edge of the city. They were loaded with “conflict minerals” – including tin and tantalum – from warehouses in Goma.

The potholed streets of this sprawling, refugee-filled city, built on volcanic rock, were largely empty. Most people were huddled inside their shacks or high-walled compounds as the rebels seized the city. But at about 5:30 p.m., just before the frontier closed, the trucks reached the border and the guards allowed them to cross from Congo into Rwanda.

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My Comment: When it comes to mercenary groups like M23 and their supporters outside ..... it always comes down to the money.

M23 rebels Begin Withdrawal From The Congo City Of Goma

Rebels Begin Withdrawal In Eastern DR Congo -- Al Jazeera

M23 spokesman says the group is doing a phased pullout from territory they have captured, starting south of Goma.

Rebels in eastern DR Congo say they have started withdrawing from territory they have captured from government troops, days after a pullout deal was reached in neighbouring Uganda.

Amani Kabashi, deputy spokesman for the M23 group, told Al Jazeera that rebels were starting to withdraw from the town of Mushake, 50km south of the provincial capital, Goma, on Wednesday.

Diplomatic efforts to end violence in eastern Congo have been ongoing since the M23 group captured Goma in fighting with Congolese troops and advanced across the east of the country last week. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by fighting between government troops and the rebels.

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More News On The Conflict Between M23 And DR Congo

Congo Rebels Begin Slow Retreat From Masisi -- ABC News/AP
Congo Rebels Pledge to Leave Goma By Friday -- Voice of America
Congo rebels to withdraw from Goma but ‘protect’ key city -- Globe and Mail
Congo Rebels Prepare Goma Withdrawal as U.S. Presses Rwanda -- Bloomberg Businessweek
DRC Government Accuses M23 of Scores of Murders -- Voice of America
UN condemns Congo rebels, demands halt to fighting -- AP
AU Demands Humanitarian Access in Congo -- Voice of America
Uncertainty Takes Toll on Civilians in Eastern DRC -- Voice of America
Congo war exposes folly of western aid -- The Guardian
Congo War Stems From Minerals, Ethnic Animosity -- New York Times/AP

A Look At The U.N. Debacle In Congo

Defining Peacekeeping Downward: The U.N. Debacle in Eastern Congo -- Jessica Hatcher and Alex Perry, Time

At 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, one of the few tanks belonging to the M23 rebels of eastern Congo fired a single round into the international airport on the outskirts of Goma, the second biggest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The townspeople, who looked up to see the first of 1,000 or so guerrillas marching on the city, began walking and running toward the city center, carrying their children and anything else they could. After a short while they were overtaken — by two large trucks packed with foreign soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping force for Congo, Monusco. Mandated to protect Congo’s civilians, with 19,000 men in uniform and costing $1.4 billion a year, the world’s biggest and most expensive peacekeeping operation was literally leaving its charges in its dust. Later in the day Monusco, far better armed and more numerous than the rebels, simply stood and watched as the M23 — easterners who oppose the central government in Kinshasa — took Goma almost without firing a shot. France called Monusco’s conduct “absurd.” The Congolese were less forgiving.

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My Comment: Calling this a debacle is an understatement. The United Nations is clearly not an organization built for peacekeeping or providing security to civilians trapped in a war zone.

M23 Rebels Refuse To Leave The Congo City Of Goma

DRC Rebels Hesitate On Plans To Withdraw From Goma -- Voice of America

GOMA, DRC — The political leader of the M23 rebel movement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo said the group is ready to withdraw from the city of Goma if Congolese President Joseph Kabila meets their conditions. It is still not clear, however, if the rebels truly intend to leave the city.

A week after the M23 rebels took control of Goma with little resistance from the Congolese army, the group's president, Jean-Marie Runiga, said they are now willing to withdraw their military force.

But, as he told reporters Tuesday in the city, they still want Kabila to meets their demands, which includes the release of political prisoners and a national dialogue with the opposition.

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More News On The War Between DR Congo And M23

Conflict Escalates in the Eastern Congo -- The Atlantic
Congo rebels refuse to quit captured city of Goma -- CNN
M23 rebels will not leave Congo city of Goma; army calls it a “declaration of war” -- Washington Post/AP
Congo rebels stay in Goma as withdrawal deadline expires -- CBC/AP
Rebels patrol in Congo city as deadline passes -- AP
Congo Rebels Given More Time to Pull Out of Goma -- Wall Street Journal
M23 rebels set conditions for Goma exit -- Al Jazeera
Congo rebels set conditions for Goma withdrawal -- Reuters
Congolese Rebels Issue Conditions for Withdrawal From Goma -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Congo rebels surround central bank in Goma -- The Guardian
Congo crisis: a deal with rebels, then maybe no deal -- Christian Science Monitor
Congo war stems from minerals, ethnic animosity -- Pete Jones, AP
Why the world is ignoring Congo war -- Vava Tampa, Special to CNN
A look at the issues and players in Congo’s resurgent conflict -- Washington Post/AP

A Good Explanation On Why The M23 Rebels In DR Congo Are Winning

Rebels Run Riot Over Chunk Of Africa -- The Australian/AFP

HOW could a rebel band that started with just a few hundred men take over a huge chunk of Africa's biggest country, set presidents against each other and leave the UN reeling?

Easily when it is the Democratic Republic of Congo, say analysts and diplomats, who blame a corrupt and disappearing army, alleged meddling by neighbouring Rwanda and a UN force with its wrists tied.

In just one week, M23 rebels have taken over most of DR Congo's North Kivu province, an area twice the size of Belgium and rich in diamonds, precious metals and minerals.

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My Comment: The best explanation that I have read so far on why the M23 rebels are winning the war in DR Congo.

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.