Editor,Allow me to respond to a story that appeared in The New Times issue of July, 10, titled “Quest for peace in the Great Lakes region.”It’s interesting to hear that the International Community is weighing options to help the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) address the ongoing crisis, following a breakout of fighting between government troops and mutinous soldiers.The efforts by DRC’s neighbours are certainly commendable. We should all go that extra mile in the interest of peace. Nevertheless, I am highly skeptical about the chances of these efforts in the absence of a reliable partner in Kinshasa or the so-called international community.An honest analysis and acknowledgement of the root causes of the conflict in the DRC must be the starting point for a real quest for peace. A government desperately looking around for scapegoats for its own failures and unable to resist the incessant pressures of suspicious western NGOs, can hardly be a reliable partner in the quest for peace.Mwene Kalinda
