Congo Rebels End Conflict

Is this the first step to peace? Congo’s M23 rebels announced that their 20-month rebellion is over hours after government forces won two key victories early Tuesday. The rebels were cornered in in the hills along the border with Uganda and Rwanda. But there are still some 20 armed groups operating in Congo’s lawless state—including the Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels, which include some Hutus who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. “In a region that has suffered so much, this is obviously a positive step in the right direction,” said Russell Feingold, a special envoy to the Congo and the Great Lakes region.