U.N. warn that violence in eastern DRC could escalate

On 6 October 2008 the U.N. warned that the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could escalate to include wider ethnic tensions in central Africa. Fighting in the North and South Kivu provinces between rebel militias and DRC soldiers has been ongoing since late August 2008, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation there. The U.N. estimates that there are approximately 20,000 rebels in the east, belonging to several different groups, including Hutu extremists accused of perpetrating the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the Tutsi group National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) led by Laurent Nkunda. In an effort to impose a disengagement plan -- which includes a ceasefire, separation of forces, demobilization and reintegration of rebels into the regular army -- and prevent wider war, the U.N. has also requested that more troops be sent to the region. The U.N. is currently seeking the support of the Security Council for its proposal.