You Know What We Don't Talk About Enough Around Here? The Congo.

If you read last week's epic summary of the First Congo War, Second Congo War, Transitional Government, and subsequent events you've probably been thinking "man, life sure is good now that I know everything worth knowing about recent Congolese history." Here's the thing about history, though: They keep making more of it.

In this particular instance, you can blame Laurent Nkunda for the need for an update. Over the last week his rebel group CNDP has overrun North Kivu leaving death and destruction in their wake. As usual, Nkunda claims to be protecting the local Tutsi population from the FDLR (Rwandan Hutu militias), whose continued presence in the Congo, and Kinshasa's ambivalence about removing them, provided Nkunda with an excuse not to disarm following January's peace agreement. Of course, Nkunda's refusal to disarm provided Kinshasa with an excuse to keep the FDLR around, and maybe give them some shiny new weapons, but that's kind of just how things go in the Congo...

On a related note, Rwanda characteristically denies that it's taking part in this round of "Who Wants to Destroy the Congo?", but no one seems to believe them.

Nkunda's army is currently outside of Goma, pushing a wave of refugees and fleeing government troops ahead of it. With the UN's 17,000 peacekeeping troops the only thing standing between the local civilian population and the rebels, MONUC's commander General Vicente Diaz de Villegas has resigned, apparently in protest over inadequate direction and organization from headquarters, and lack of cooperation from Kinshasa. Meanwhile, protesters have attacked MONUC troops for their failure to protect them, and the Security Council has yet to act on a request for reinforcements

Yesterday Nkunda declared a unilateral ceasefire, but everyone seems to be preparing for war anyway, probably on account of Nkunda's previously-demonstrated questionable grasp of the word "cease-fire." However, the rebels appear not to have entered Goma yet, and Nkunda told the AP that he wants to negotiate with the government regarding security in the Kivus, and discuss a sketchy-sounding $5 billion mining deal between Kinshasa and China. So basically, things are tense as hell.

Oh, and apparently things aren't looking too good for Congo's gorillas, either.