“The situation in the eastern DRC needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The Congolese government should prioritise a political solution to the impasse rather than pursuing a military option, which can lead only to further suffering among the civilian population, and further aggravate ethnic tensions. One way to do this could be to address some of Nkunda’s concerns, in particular regarding the return of the Congolese Tutsi refugees living in camps in neighbouring Rwanda. At the same time, MONUC and the FARDC should increase their efforts to identify existing avenues of support for Nkunda and insist that support for him be halted immediately. The Congolese and Rwandan governments must sit down and discuss the modalities of a return of the FDLR to Rwanda. The political branch of the FDLR must be involved in these talks as well. Until this question is resolved and the FDLR returns home, there will be continued instability in North and South Kivu, and relations between the two countries will remain stressed.”
