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DR Congo refused to negotiate with the rebel alliance that has taken control of swaths of the country, sparking fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Kinshasa said it would instead seek dialogue directly with Rwanda, which the DRC says funds the M23 militia that leads the rebels, a claim Kigali rejects.
The conflict over the mineral-rich eastern DRC has exposed its army’s weakness: Despite decades of fighting experience, it has been incapable of halting the rebels’ advance, hamstrung by rampant corruption, extortion, and abuse.
“The army really operates like an armed group,” an expert told The New York Times.
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