Millions of people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are now at the mercy of militias as the country's long-running conflict descends into widespread lawlessness with killing, kidnapping and abuse against the population at alarming levels.
The Congolese government’s military operation in eastern Congo, Kimia II, backed by UN peacekeepers and aimed at neutralizing the threat from a Rwandan Hutu militia group, the FDLR, has resulted in an unacceptable cost for the civilian population.