Photo Gallery No Relief for Eastern Congo
A new proposal before the United Nations Security Council calls for more peacekeepers to be sent to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting there has killed over a hundred people and driven more than 250,000 people from their homes in recent weeks.
The UN force in Congo is the largest such peacekeeping force in the world. But it has been powerless to halt the renewed violence.
Rebel soldiers like those pictured here have had little trouble defeating regular Congolese army forces. On Tuesday, though, rebel leader Laurent Nkunda hinted at a possible rebel pullback to allow UN troops to move in as a buffer.
Non-governmental organizations have warned of a brewing humanitarian catastrophe.
Some 28,000 refugees in the eastern part of Congo have no access to help due to fighting and bad roads.
Former Nigerian President and UN Special Envoy Olusegun Obasanjo, right, met with rebel leader Laurent Nkunda on Sunday as part of his ongoing efforts to broker a cease-fire.
A Congolese army solider near the frontline last week. According to reports on Tuesday, the army came under fire from allied militias trying to prevent regular troops from retreating in the face of a rebel advance.
Displaced Congolese in a camp near Kibati. Troops from Angola and Zimbabwe are supporting the Congolose army in their fight against rebel troops.
A Congolese boy holds his brother at the Kibati displacement camp near Goma in eastern Congo.
