Brink of war Fears grow of escalating conflict in spite of talks

Last weekend, the presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda - Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame - were among those who took part in a regional summit aimed at ending the resurgent violence in eastern DRC.

- Archie Bland

The summit ended with a call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. But while there was a lull in the fighting last Sunday, many fear an escalation to a wider regional war.

With the horrifying news that hundreds of female inmates at Goma's prison were raped and burned alive, the humanitarian consequences of this violence are profound. Rape used as a weapon of war is rife, children are often forced to fight and millions have been displaced during the conflict - which has killed about 6 million people.

What is the background to the conflict?

This violence is the latest episode of a decades-long conflict that has its roots in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda. As the genocide ended, about a million Hutus, fearing reprisals, fled to eastern DRC, then called Zaire. Rwanda and its new Tutsiled government sought to exert influence in the region.