Weary refugees are trying to reach home

in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid a fragile cease-fire. They have been caught between the government and Laurent Nkunda's rebel movement.

The conflict is fueled by left-over tensions from Rwandan genocide. Nkunda claims that the government has not done enough to protect Tutsis from the Hutu militia that fled to the Congo at the end of the war. It's believed that all sides are funded by the vast mineral riches found in the Congo, leaving them no incentive to stop.

According to the United Nations, more than a millions people have been displaced, 220,000 since August. While the UN convoy is currently the largest in the world, it has requested backup to contain the violence. The EU has refused to send soldiers, hoping instead to end the fighting by diplomatic means.

In the meantime, people have lost their homes, belongings, family, and basic human rights such as healthcare and food. Please urge your representatives and leaders to remember the fighting in the DRC and not to allow it to reach the proportions that it did in Rwanda. We cannot keep making the same mistakes.

Read the full story here.