Anna Husarska, senior policy adviser at the International Rescue Committee, looks at the Congo crisis in a column in The Guardian and wonders what it will take to broker peace in the most deadly conflict since World War II. Her suggestions, while incontestable, are also somewhat underwhelming: Keep international attention focused on the conflict in hopes of providing greater support for MONUC, the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, in order to protect the civilian population that suffers so and then to try to draw all sides to the negotiating table.
One of the United Nations programs that has shown some promise is an attempt to convince Hutu militia members from Rwanda to return to their home countries. Hardly a panacea (armed Hutu militiamen in Rwanda freshly removed from armed conflict : What could possibly go wrong!) the efforts nonetheless recognizes the piecemeal nature of resolving the Congo conflict. there is probably no magic bullet, but rather a series of small steps that might add up to provide a tipping point toward peace.
