The UN peacekeeping operations in eastern Congo, the UN’s largest, are judged to be a failure, and in many cases are exacerbating the situation. The war in North and South Kivu regions have caused the displacement of a million civilians, thousands of killings and hundreds of rapes, says a new report seen by BBC and Reuters. The report was released 25 November by a Group of Experts mandated by the UN to examine violations of the arms embargo in the region.

The main Hutu-backed rebel group FDLR controls extensive tin and gold-mining areas which helps to finance its rebellion. Former Tutsi rebels integrated into the Congolese army, which is supported by the UN peacekeeping force, operate as a parallel milita. They are led by Nosco Ntaganda, wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Links to other sites: BBC, Reuters, UN site establishing arms embargo