The long and brutal conflict in the DRC has caused massive suffering for civilians, with estimates of millions dead either directly or indirectly as a result of the fighting. There have been frequent reports of weapon bearers killing civilians, destroying property, committing widespread sexual violence, causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes×¥ By the start of a new decade people in DRcongo are still dying: 2,700,000 people have perished since 2004. This death toll is due to widespread disease and famine; reports indicate that almost half of the individuals killed are children under the age of 5. The aftermath of the war has gutted the country. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is the primary remnant Rwandan Hutu Power rebel group in the east of the of the DRC. The group is often referred to as the FDLR after its original French name: the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda.The FDLR counts among its numbers the original members of the Interahamwe that carried out the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Following several days of talks with Congolese government representatives, the FDLR announced on 31 March 2005 that they were abandoning their armed struggle and returning to Rwanda as a political party. The Rwandan government stated that any returning genocidaires would face justice, most probably through the gacaca court system. It was stated that if all of the FDLR commanders, who are believed to control about 10,000 militants, disarmed and returned, a key source of cross-border tensions would be removed.
July-September 2007
FDLR Hutu militia, at their camp, Kahungwe, South Kivu.
Funeral procession of a village elder who passed away from HIV/Aids, Shabunda, South Kivu.
A group of women that were raped by soldiers loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda (a Tutsi warlord and enemy of the FDLR) in Masisi, reciving treatment at a hospital in Goma, after they were able to escape from Masisi.
A man crosses the Ulindi river on his way back home, Shabunda, South Kivu.
Ex child soldiers (FDLR militia) , at a child soldiers rehabilitation center, Goma, North Kivu.
An Indian MONUC (UN peacekeeping force) soldier, taking a short break, during a patrol inside FDLR controlled area, Rutshuru, North Kivu.
Sunday procession in one of Goma city many churches.
FARDC (Congo National Army) soldiers , waiting to be briefed by their commander, before heading out on patrol, Shabunda village, South Kivu.
Food distribution items being loaded up on WFP trucks , before heading out to an IDP camp near Goma, North Kivu.
Ex child soldiers (FDLR militia) , at a child soldiers rehabilitation center, Goma, North Kivu.
IDPs in the village of Kanabayonga, waiting for food distribution by WFP, North Kivu.
FDLR Hutu militia, in their camp, Kahungwe, South Kivu.
Local villagers on their way back home from a market's day, in an FDLR controlled area, Kahungwe, South Kivu.
Children playing at a street children center, Goma, North Kivu.
IDPs waiting for food distribution by WFP, Kirumba, North Kivu.
FDLR Hutu militia, at their camp, Kahungwe, South Kivu.
Children at a local church in an area where frequent clashes happen between FDLR and FARDC, Kisharo village , North Kivu.
Indian MONUC (UN peacekeeping force) soldiers, during a patrol in FDLR controlled area. Rutshuru, North Kivu.
Ex child soldiers (FDLR militia) , at a child soldiers rehabilitation center, Goma, North Kivu.
A local church at sundown in the village of Naymillama , where fighting for control of the area often take place between FDLR Hutu militia and FARDC.
A local villager who was injured during clashes between FDLR Hutu militia and FARDCgetting treatment at Naymillama hospital, North Kivu.
A local national park ranger, standing on peak of Mt Nyiragongo volcano Virunga national park, North Kivu.
Family member of patients at the place for the mentally insane- Cante Mental hospital, waiting for their visit time to begin, Goma, North Kivu.
Young FDLR Hutu militia soldiers, getting ready to go out on patrol near their camp, Kilungutwe , South Kivu.
IDPs waiting for food distribution by WFP, at the village of Kisharo, North Kivu.
A woman who lost both of her legs and her unborn child , after a mine exploded near her while she was fetching water, getting treatment in a rehabilitation center , Goma, North Kivu.
A young boy on a boat sailing from Goma (north Kivu) to Bukavu (South Kivu), lake Kivu.
An FDLR Hutu militia child soldier, during a patrol near his camp , Kilungutwe, South Kivu.
A woman that was raped by soldiers loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda (a Tutsi warlord and enemy of the FDLR) in Masisi, getting treatment at a hospital in Goma, after she was able to escape from Masisi.