The crisis in the eastern DR Congo

I've been meaning for some time to write a long essay on the horrific situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's been descirbed by the UN as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, even most desperate than genocide-striken Darfur in eastern Sudan. I have the essay largely flushed out in my head but so far haven't found the time to write it. Unfortunately the countless machinations by the Bush administration, which I've written about in my regular blog, have taken up more time, and more often, than I would've liked.

In the interim, I'd strongly encourage everyone to read this essay on the DRC by Malau, in his Salon of News and Thoughts blog. Malau is a Congolese and his essay is very passsionate and very angry. But not merely content to bemoan the plight of his countrymen, he usefully offers (particularly in the notes section at the bottom) some concrete ways the crisis can be addressed.