Leaders | Stop the war

How to prevent another catastrophic regional war in Congo

The world needs to press Rwanda to pull back its forces

A newly displaced woman builds a tent next to the Bulengo camp near Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Photograph: Getty Images

Few parts of the world have suffered such prolonged misery as eastern Congo, a place that has been meddled in and fought over by its neighbours for decades. Since the 1990s it has been the battleground in two major wars that sucked in troops from across the region. The deadliest of these, the second Congo war, led to the loss of 1m-5m lives, mostly from conflict-related disease and starvation. Now, with much of the world focused on crises elsewhere, there is the risk of a catastrophic third regional war being sparked in Congo—one that could possibly be averted but for the inattention of the West.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Stop the war”

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