DRC: Pulling Back from the Brink

Coming a year after the transition began, the May-June Bukavu crisis was a wake-up call for all parties to the peace process and the international community, says a new briefing from the International Crisis Group (ICG). "Unless peace-building in the Kivus receives new priority and resources, a repetition could destroy the peace process before any elections can be held. The transitional government must demonstrate that it is capable of finding political solutions, while taking the necessary decisions, for example on the law on nationality and amnesty. At the same time, MONUC's shortcomings, which were evident during the crisis, need to be overcome, and it must implement its mandate more assertively," said the ICG, which also called on the international community to put pressure on Rwanda to cease all military involvement in the Congo.