KIVUYE, Congo — On the first market day after the militia retreated, as the midday sun broke through the mist, hundreds of villagers gathered on a grassy hillside. Vendors sold fresh cabbage, corn and potatoes without fear of being robbed. Women bought pink dresses and orange cloth without fear of being raped. Children kicked a tattered ball made of twine without fear of being dragged away and forced to carry a gun. As dusk fell, no one rushed

DR Congo: Ban says recommitment to peace framework critical to addressing root cause of conflict UN News Centre 22 September 2014 United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today said that addressing the root causes of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the region requires a recommitment to all national and regional commitments under the agreed-to peace Framework. “In recent months, there has been progress on several

UN backs military action against DR Congo rebels Agence France Presse 26 August 2014 The UN Security Council on Tuesday backed joint military action by the UN force in the Democratic Republic of Congo and government troops against former Hutu rebels who refuse to surrender. In a unanimous statement, the 14-member council said flushing out the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia that includes perpetrators of the 1994 genocide of Tutsis, was a "top priority

U.N. council urges ‘neutralization’ of Rwandan rebels in Congo By Louis Charbonneau, Euronews 26 August 2014 The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday called for the “swift neutralization” of Rwandan rebels in Democratic Republic of the Congo as essential to bringing stability to the conflict-torn eastern regions of the country. Rwandan FDLR rebels, who seek to overthrow the Rwandan government and who include former soldiers and Hutu militia

On August 13, 2004 a force of armed combatants, many of them members of the Forces for National Liberation (Forces pour la Liberation Nationale, FNL), massacred at least 152 Congolese civilians and wounded another 106 at Gatumba refugee camp, near Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The FNL is a predominantly Hutu rebel movement known for its hostility to Tutsi and the victims were largely Banyamulenge, a group often categorized with Tutsi. Witnesses

By Anna Yukhananov 1 July 2014 Reuters The United States on Tuesday blacklisted a Ugandan Islamic group, the Allied Democratic Forces, for targeting children in armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The move, which freezes the group's assets in the United States and blocks U.S. firms from dealing with it, follows a U.N. Security Council committee decision on Monday to blacklist the same group. The U.S. Treasury said the ADF launched

A Reversal by a Militia of Rwandan Hutus in Democratic Republic of Congo By Somini Sengupta The New York Times 28 June 2014 KIGOGO, Democratic Republic of Congo — Shortly after midday in this village nestled in clouds, the progenitors of the long, dirty war across Central Africa came out of the jungle and laid down their guns. Not all the gunmen in their ranks: 83 guerrillas were present, along with their wives and children. And not all their guns:

Bringing Women to the Table to Address Sexual Violence By Mary Robinson, The New York Times June 11, 2014 In war zones, rape is a weapon. We cannot claim to be serious about stopping war crimes if we do nothing to prevent and punish these heinous acts – and if women are not part of the solution every step of the way. Thanks to the rallying efforts of William Hague and Angelina Jolie, dozens of foreign ministers and legions of advocacy groups are

By Edmund Blair REUTERS 12 June, 20134 Gunfire broke out on Thursday for a second day on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a Congolese official said, after months of relative calm in the volatile region. Congolese and Rwandan officials each accused the other's armies of mounting cross-border raids on Wednesday that prompted heavy fire between the two forces. Reports suggested the gunfire on Thursday morning was short-lived.

By The Associated Press The Washington Post 7 June, 2014 KINSHASA, Congo — Armed fighters attacked a town in eastern Congo late at night, massacring at least 34 people including women and children who were at a local church, officials said Saturday. Provincial interior minister Jean Julien Miruho said that the violence in Mutarule late Friday also left at least 27 others wounded. Miruho said the identity of the assailants was unknown, though he