In the 1970s "authenticity" was part of the state ideology in the DRC -- a policy that prohibited the wearing of Western suits.

CNN: Dedicated followers of fashion: Congo's designer dandies

The DRC is a Ministry of Defence-led initiative in partnership with Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion to ensure wounded and sick servicemen and women have access to the resources they need as they recover.

BBC: Members of the Race2Recovery team

But Kenya, supported by Mali, the DRC and six others, wants a 20-year moratorium on all ivory sales, arguing that any trade encourages poaching.

CNN: Elephants at risk from gangs, eBay

"We have an obligation derived from this colonial past - and a particular responsibility because many of the companies operating in DRC are European companies, " says Ana Gomes, a Portuguese Member of the European Parliament with the Socialist Party.

BBC: Matonge: Congo-Rwanda dispute hits heart of Europe

The aid will also be directed to Tearfund's work in the Fizi territory of the DRC, providing water and sanitation facilities to people displaced by a flare-up in conflict in April.

BBC: Isle of Man pledges emergency aid to India and DRC

Warring insurgent groups, such as the Ugandan-based Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and the Hutu-backed militia known as FDLR, operating in the eastern DRC are a main source for instability in the region, the agency said.

CNN: UNICEF reports sexual violence in the Congo region

The anti-abortion group Life, which has been pressing the DRC to push for a change in the law, said the statement was a turning point.

BBC: Abortion Act 'discriminatory'

An interesting feature of the pre-trial news conference in The Hague was a video link with Kinshasa and Bangui, the capital cities of the DRC and the Central African Republic (CAR) respectively.

BBC: Defiant Jean-Pierre Bemba gets his day in court