There was sporadic fighting in Kinshasa in May 2007 between the forces of former rebel-leader and at the time Senator Jean-Pierre Bemba and President Joseph Kabila; the situation in the capital has since quieted and 2007 saw limited progress on building a credible democratic government.
Continued tension in the provinces of North and South Kivu involving the Congolese army, dissident troops loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda and predatory militias — including the FDLR (former perpetrators of Rwanda’s genocide) and local Mai Mai “self defense” militias — continue to place civilians in the crossfire. The conflict has resulted in looting, abduction of children as soldiers, and massive sexual violence targeting women that is destroying families and communities throughout eastern Congo.
In mid 2007 the process of mixage, whereby Nkunda’s rebel forces, the National Congress for the Defense of the People, (CNDP) were to be integrated into the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), collapsed, and fighting between Nkunda and the Congolese army resumed. The renewed conflict led to further civilian displacement in late 2007. All told, some 800,000 civilians remained displaced within North Kivu province in early 2008. The majority are women and children living in squalid camps where rape, disease and malnutrition are constant threats.
In late 2007, the conflict flared up again. The ill-trained FARDC, with the logistical support of the United Nations peacekeeping force MONUC, launched a major military operation against Nkunda which ultimately led to a stalemate. Tens of thousands more were displaced in November and December, while sexual violence and child abduction remain at critical levels.
There have been some positive developments as well. In November 2007, the governments of Congo and Rwanda agreed to deal with the question of refugees and the remnants of the FDLR in eastern Congo. In January 2008, a landmark conference was held in the North Kivu capital of Goma. Its stated aim was to bring peace and development to eastern DRC, most primarily a cease-fire between Nkunda’s CNDP forces and the FARDC. Participants included government officials on the national and provincial level, as well as other leaders and members of civil society. A peace agreement was signed at the conference and, despite a notable absence of language dealing with the FDLR, has been tentatively heralded by experts as the best chance for peace for Eastern Congo.
