Rwanda the key to Congo's peace - CNN.com

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Authors: Unless root causes are addressed, violence will intensify in Congo
• They say the key is to focus on Rwanda's role in the war
• Agreement that involves Rwanda would go far to bring peace, aid economies, they say

Editor's note: John Prendergast and Sasha Lezhnev are co-founder and senior policy analyst at the Enough Project, part of the Center for American Progress.

(CNN) -- The escalation in recent days of eastern Congo's brutal war demonstrates that unless its root causes are addressed in a broader peace process, violence could intensify and Rwanda could be drawn more directly into the fray, regionalizing the war.

Over the past week, Congo's army has nearly militarily defeated the most powerful rebel group, the M23. Rwanda has threatened to strike Congo in retaliation for what it claims was shelling on its territory by Congo's army.

M23 may soon be a spent force militarily, but many other armed groups are still active and could replace it as major destabilizers of eastern Congo unless the root causes of the war are addressed........(CONTINUED)

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