JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - It is uncertain what effect last week's arrest of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rebel leader Laurent Nkunda will have on peace prospects in Africa's third largest country, where more than 5 million people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced since internal fighting began a decade ago. While some people have hailed it as the biggest step yet toward ending one of Africa's worst civil wars ever, others suggest that any celebration must wait until the new-found alliance between Rwanda and Congo proves durable. Nkunda, a 41-year-old former DRC army general who has led a Tutsi rebellion since 2004, was arrested last Thursday as he fled his Bunagana stronghold, days after the launch of an unprecedented joint military operation by Rwandan and Congolese government forces against Congolese-based Hutu militiamen.
Nkunda’s Arrest: Initial Success for DRC-Rwanda Alliance
