War in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed up to four million people from conflict, hunger and malnutrition over the past decade.
Throughout this time, the international community did little to prevent the slaughter or mitigate the suffering. Now, with a fragile peace process firmly under way and elections planned next year, it is time to make amends.
A country of immense natural resources, DR Congo has long been subject to plunder, first by Belgian colonists and then by the dictator Joseph Mobutu. Latterly, its neighbours have joined the fray, with countries such as Uganda or Rwanda allowing their armies to plunder valuable minerals. While these have largely withdrawn their forces from the country since peace accords were signed in 2002, there are still large numbers of rebel militias in operation, particularly in the unsettled east of the country.
There are some encouraging signs of transition, including the adoption of the country's first democratic constitution and the registration of millions of Congolese to vote in next year's election. In addition, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with financial support from Ireland and other donors, has begun returning thousands of refugees to their homes, especially in the west of the country where the conflict has abated.
However, the planned elections are already late, having originally been scheduled to take place by the end of June. Allegations of bias and exclusion in the registration process have already been made.
Arms continue to flow freely into DR Congo, Amnesty International reported earlier this month. While the president of the transitional government, Joseph Kabila, has sacked ministers engaging in corruption, there is plenty of evidence on the ground to suggest that this problem remains rampant. Commercial plundering of DR Congo's gold, silver, coltan and timber also continues unabated.
The United Nations mission in DR Congo, known as Monuc, commands the largest and most expensive UN peacekeeping force in the world, with 17,000 troops. This week, it has begun a welcome and long overdue crackdown on rebel camps in Kivu province who are responsible for a series of atrocities against innocent villagers.
Under the agreement announced by G8 leaders in Gleneagles last month, DR Congo is scheduled to qualify shortly for debt relief. In theory, this could release significant funding for reconstruction and poverty alleviation. In practice, however, it may present opportunities for more corruption, unless the relief is carefully administered.