In October 2008, the forces of the National Congress for the Defense of the Congolese People
(CNDP), under the command of General Laurent Nkunda, launched a major offensive against the
Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces (FARDC) in eastern Congo. Within days, the
CNDP captured a number of small towns and Congolese forces retreated in large numbers.
Eastern Congo has been in a state of chaos for over a decade. The first rebellion to oust the late
President Mobutu Sese Seko began in the city of Goma in the mid-1990s. The second rebellion in
the late 1990s began also in eastern Congo. The root causes of the current crisis are the presence
of over a dozen militia and extremist groups, both foreign and Congolese, in eastern Congo, and
the failure to fully implement peace agreements signed by the parties. Over the past fourteen
years, the former Rwandese armed forces and the Interhamwe militia have been given a safe
haven in eastern Congo and have carried out many attacks inside Rwanda and against Congolese
civilians. A Ugandan rebel group, the Lord?s Resistance Army (LRA) is also in Congo, despite an
agreement reached between the LRA and the Government of Uganda.
In November 2008, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon appointed former Nigerian
President Olusegun Obasanjo as his envoy to help broker a peace agreement to end the crisis in
eastern Congo. Since his appointment, Obasanjo has met with President Joseph Kabila, General
Nkunda, President Paul Kagame, and other officials in the region. The parties have agreed to
participate in a U.N.-led peace initiative. The governments of Rwanda and the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) are also engaged in bilateral talks. In November, the Congolese and
Rwandan governments agreed to deploy Rwandan intelligence officers to help identify and end
the presence of negative forces in DRC.
The current crisis in eastern Congo has displaced more than 250,000 civilians. In recent weeks,
some civilians have begun to return home. Meanwhile, abuses against civilians by government
forces and militia groups continue. There is no reliable estimate of the number of people killed
since the current crisis erupted. In late November, CNDP forces withdrew from two fronts in
order to create humanitarian corridors.
The United States has been actively engaged in facilitating the Tripartite Plus talks among the
four key players in the Great Lakes region: Rwanda, DRC, Burundi, and Uganda. The Tripartite
Plus process has led to a number of agreements over the past several years, including the creation
of a Joint Verification Mechanism (JVM) to address cross-border issues. The Bush Administration
provided an estimated $105.5 million in FY2008, and has requested $95.5 million for FY2009. In
FY2008 and 2009 to date, the United States provided $156.7 million in humanitarian assistance to
DRC.
This report will be updated as circumstances warrant.