Inside Story

Can the FDLR be defeated?

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda faces military action after missing the deadline to disarm.

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) had been given until January 2 to disarm, but failed to comply. Now the UN is pushing a military offensive to dismantle the group that has been active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

It is expected to be the most significant military action against the group.

But what are the chances of success? And how much of a threat is FDLR to the region?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests: 

Fidel Bafilemba – Field researcher at Enough Project, an organisation that fights to end genocide and crimes against humanity

Stephanie Wolters – Head of the conflict prevention and risk analysis programme at the Institute for Security Studies

Simone Schlindwein – Great Lakes correspondent for the German newspaper TAZ and specialist on the FDLR