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

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – More than half a million people have been displaced in the DR Congo since the start of 2009, the latest figures published by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in Geneva show. Heavy fighting between government forces and Rwandan rebels in the South Kivu area starting 12 July has created a new migration of 35,000 people out of the area, bringing the total displaced since January 2009 to 536,000. Overall, 1.8 million people have been displaced by the fighting.