DRC: Civilians at Risk During Disarmament Operations

Rwandan armed groups, like many other armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), kill, rape, and otherwise injure civilians and often loot or extort their property. Under the terms of the Lusaka Accords and the Pretoria Agreement ending four years of war in the Congo, the Congolese government agreed to disarm these groups, but has failed to do so. In the face of this failure, Rwanda, a signatory to the peace agreements, has threatened to invade the Congo.