Representatives of a Pan-African grouping of faith leaders say the mineral resource-based conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could be prevented if signatories to peace agreements honored their stated commitments.

A delegation of church leaders from Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has set out to meet the presidents of the latter two countries in order to convey them a strong message in favour of peace.

Staff working with a partner of the aid agency Tearfund in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s unstable eastern region are reporting evidence of torture admidst a growing humanitarian crisis.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been afflicted by internal strife for the last ten years. This has led to the displacement of 4.3 million people and the fact that around 8 million children do not go to school. Extreme poverty and severe violence have led to the deaths of millions of people, and ensured that whilst the DRC has some of the biggest mineral, timber and agricultural reserves, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Sponsor a child in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) here