The exploitation of Congo's vast resources by competing elites and militaries for personal enrichment promotes insecurity and stymies development. Only very strong Western and African public outcry and a change in China's nonintervention approach might open the possibilities for change.

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Rwandan-backed rebels recently withdrew from the eastern Congolese city of Goma, but a comprehensive peace deal with the government remains elusive, says expert Jason Stearns.

Jeffrey Gettleman, East Africa bureau chief for the New York Times, examines African conflicts that have continued even without clear ideology and goals.

This Contingency Planning Memorandum describes how electoral instability and insurrectionary violence may once again afflict the Democratic Republic of Congo and posits steps the United States can take to prevent these scenarios from occurring and mitigate their potential consequences.

Experts examine the stability, security, risks, and quality of governance of the Democratic Republic of Congo since the 2006 elections, as well as the need for continued international engagement.

Experts examine the stability, security, risks, and quality of governance of the Democratic Republic of Congo since the 2006 elections, as well as the need for continued international engagement.

The panelists will provide an update on recent events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the country struggles with increasing violence and political, ethnic, and regional conflicts.

With the death toll in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo likely exceeding six million, the UN peacekeeping force needs beefing up, and both the Rwandan and Congolese governments should punish nationals guilty of violence against civilians, says CFR's John Campbell.

In this New York Times op-ed, Nicholas Kristof, who has been profiling the ongoing violence in eastern Congo against civilians, laments that the international response to this humanitarian crisis has been "pathetic," citing the 5.4 million people that have died in the conflict since April 2007 and urging the international community to show more compassion toward Congo. 

This module features teaching notes by Independent Consultant for International Development and Foreign Policy Anthony W. Gambino, author of Congo: Securing Peace, Sustaining Progress, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Council Special Report addresses the country's social, economic, and security challenges and recommends two priorities for U.S. policy: combating insecurity in the east and promoting sustainable development.

Adam Hochschild emphasizes four major factors that continuously cause conflict in Congo: long-standing antagonism between certain ethnic groups, the 1994 Rwandan genocide, vast wealth in natural resources, and lastly, a vast population--65 million--in an area as big as the United States east of the Mississippi.

This International Crisis Group report examines the failed attempts of the past to dismantle the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)--an insurgency with roots that go back to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda--and recommends a new approach to help end great civilian suffering and restore state authority in the eastern Congo.

International Crisis Group Africa Report 2009 outlines five priorities for a successful peacebuilding strategy for the eastern Congo including a credible and comprehensive disarmament strategy and a security system reform with a new focus on building capacity and accountability in the Kivus as well as Orientale province.

This strategic paper published by the Enough Project offers a comprehensive strategy to end the trade of Congo's conflict minerals.

Listen to Anthony W. Gambino, an independent consultant for international development and foreign policy, discuss securing peace in the Congo with students as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Academic Initiative.

Michael J. Gerson discusses the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army Leader, Joseph Kony; his crimes against humanity; and the quest to find him.

Michael Gerson discusses how eastern Congo, "a vacuum of sovereignty," will be a challenge for President-elect Obama.

Michael Gerson describes the dire scenes in the Congo.

Lawlessness in eastern Congo has reached a critical juncture. Analysts fear the crisis in the enormous country, which borders nine others, could spread across the region.

Anthony Gambino, an expert on the Democratic Republic of Congo, discusses the recent escalation in conflict in eastern Congo and the necessity of training a professional Congolese army.