Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly
Zaire)
May 6,
2008: There are about 22 armed groups in
eastern Congo, and a major part of the problem is not just the number of armed
irregulars, but the many rebel organizations and their very different goals and
motivations.
May 3,
3008: The latest UN assessment of the eastern Congo is good because it isn't so
bad. The UN described the situation as "stabilizing but fragile" – meaning a
new offensive by rogue militias or Rwandan Hutus, or anyone else for that
matter, could create another violent mess. MONUC in eastern Congo is once again
focusing its efforts on disarmament and demobilization operations.
May 2,
2008: The UN vigorously denied allegations that UN peacekeepers in the eastern
Congo had provided a Ugandan rebel organization with weapons. The rumors first
appeared last month in Ugandan publications. Allegedly, the Allied Democratic
Forces (ADF, also called Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for Liberation
of Uganda) received weapons from UN peacekeepers or that UN peacekeepers sold
the ADF weapons.
April 29,
2008: What is the biggest killer in the Congo? Probably malaria. Congo has
around five million malaria cases a year. The actual number of people who die
annually from malaria is not known, but the UN study estimates the figure is
somewhere between 500,000 and one million people. There are more deaths in
areas where rebel groups are active, because it is more difficult to distribute
anti-mosquito sleeping nets (a major preventive measure) or go after the mosquitoes
that spread the disease.
April 25,
2008: Congolese troops fought with rebel Rwandan Hutu militia forces in North
Kivu province. The UN said that at least 12,000 people fled the immediate
battlefield. Most of the fighting took place in an area 50 miles northeast of
Goma. There were no casualty reports.
