The Kinshasa government this week denounced the activities of the Rwandan army in the DRC’s northern Ituri region. The remarks of the Minister for Human Rights were made during a peace conference on Ituri being held in Kinshasa. Uganda was also singled out and accused of fueling ethnic hostilities in the region, where intense fighting has taken place this month between the Hema and Lendu peoples. Many local chiefs boycotted the talks in the capital, in favor of meetings soon to be held in Ituri. The troubled Ituri region is also home to the Efe (known as Pygmies), a traditional hunter-gather people, many of whom have been displaced by military activities.
