Inside Story

What are the prospects for a lasting peace in DR Congo?

M23 fighters say they are pulling out of a town in the east, but the Congolese army says their earlier promise to withdraw from another one was a sham.

Hopes for peace, or another false dawn?

That’s what people are asking in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where M23 fighters have pledged to leave Rumangabo.

That town is in the east and has a large military base.

But the Congolese army says a similar pledge to quit another strategic town, Kibumba, in December has not been fulfilled.

Conflict has forced many people to flee the region and a UN investigation has documented widespread human rights abuses.

The death toll from violence in the region since the 1990s stands in the millions, according to some estimates.

So what are the prospects for a lasting peace?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Djaffar Al Katanty – Reporter in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Jean-Mobert Senga – Democratic Republic of Congo researcher at Amnesty International in Nairobi.

Felix Ndahinda – Consultant and researcher from the Democratic Republic of Congo based in Tilburg, Netherlands, focusing on conflict, peace and justice in the Great Lakes Region.