“The aim of this monograph is to enhance understanding of the complex array of actors and actions that underpin the current Congolese ‘peace process’ — from the key protagonists and their interests in the DRC, to the deployment of MONUC, and attempts to initiate the Inter-Congolese Dialogue. To a large degree, the key to the conflict in the DRC, as well as that in the Great Lakes region, can be found in the eastern Kivu provinces. Since 1959, the various crises in Rwanda and Burundi have generated four major refugee flows that have affected security in the Great Lakes region, and the Kivu provinces in particular. The involvement of foreign forces in the present DRC conflict, on the side of both government and opposition armed forces, has been in pursuit
of a variety of powerful interests — ranging from ‘legitimate’ security concerns to ethnic solidarity and financial gain. Thus the engineering of the very complicated Lusaka ceasefire agreement proved to be much easier than actually getting the foreigners out of the DRC.”
