Some background info about what's going on in eastern DRC

Here's the text of an AP article I found on the web that explains more about the DRC and what's been going on out east. More than a few people have been emailing me with questions about what's going on out there, so hopefully this can help to answer a few questions...

Eastern Congo's brutal conflict is a result of decades-old ethnic tensions and a modern-day scramble for the region's mineral wealth. Some questions and answers on the region's complex history:

Q: Who are the Congolese?

A: Congo's population of more than 66 million is made up of more than 200 ethnic groups. About 70 percent are Christian, 10 percent Muslim and the rest adherents of indigenous beliefs. French is the official language, but dozens of African languages and dialects are widely spoken.

Q: What is Congo's economy based on?

A: Cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold, silver, tin and coltan, the essential ingredient of cell phones, make Congo one of Africa's most mineral-rich countries. It is also rich in coffee, rubber and palm oil. Its wealth, however, has only partially been exploited due to poor infrastructure and years of conflict.

Q: What is the origin of the conflict in eastern Congo?

A: The roots of Congo's instability trace back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsi were slaughtered. Tutsi rebels from Rwanda then overthrew the Hutu-dominated Rwandan government in an ensuing civil war, forcing millions of Hutu to flee to Congo. Among the refugees were top Rwandan army and government officials, as well as militias who together had orchestrated the mass slaughter. They later set up bases on Congolese soil, where many remain today. Rwanda invaded Congo twice in an effort to rout the Rwandan Hutu extremists, first in a 1996-1997 war, and again in a 1998-2002 war. Many accused Rwanda of getting sidetracked, however, in pursuit of diamonds, gold and other minerals.

Q: Since 1994, Congo's civil war and tribal conflicts have left some 4 million people dead through fighting, famine or disease. Who is behind the current fighting?

A: The current fighting pits Congo's army against rebels loyal to Laurent Nkunda, an ethnic Tutsi. The former general quit the army several years ago, claiming the government of President Joseph Kabila was not doing enough to protect minority Tutsi from Hutu extremists, whose continued presence has given him a reason to fight. Nkunda has accused the army of allying itself on the battlefield with the Hutu militias. The government denies the claims. Critics say Nkunda is a proxy of Rwanda's government and has exaggerated claims there is a serious threat to Tutsi in Congo. Nkunda's army has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including rape campaigns and attacks on villages -- as have army soldiers and militias.

Q: Why has violence escalated in recent months?

A: Nkunda's forces signed a Jan. 23 peace deal, but mistrust remains deep. The deal committed all armed groups in the region to an immediate cease-fire, followed by the pullback of fighters from key areas that would then become a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone.But the pullback was messy, with government forces routinely facing off with Nkunda's men. The rebels have since accused the Congolese army of abandoning positions to Hutu militias. Caught in the middle, villagers have fled en masse.

Q: Why the recent attacks on U.N. buildings and tanks?

A: Villagers feel the 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force has failed to protect them. The rebel and army pullback was supposed to create U.N.-monitored buffer zones, but few, if any, of these zones are operational. In many areas, the pullback led to an escalation of violence.