Kivus during 2007, and their stories made it seem the humanity of man had been effaced.

UN: Security Council

This is something that people in the Kivus sometimes ask us, and it is a valid point for debate.

FORBES: Global Witness Responds to Tim Worstall Post

If Congo and Rwanda are to co-exist and prosper, they need economic integration and stability, not war in the Kivus.

ECONOMIST: The latest rebellion in eastern Congo does no one any good

Some argue that the 2009 deal with former rebels that bought - at a high price - a measure of peace to the Kivus was destined to fail.

BBC: Is DR Congo's cycle of chaos unbreakable?

The slump in the trade in the provinces of North and South Kivus which all this has induced has indeed hurt people who are offered little back-up from the Congolese state.

FORBES: Global Witness Responds to Tim Worstall Post

Moreover, while recent official exports of minerals from the Kivus have been at around 30% of 2009-2010 rates, mining officials told us that the real figure was in fact substantially higher because of increased smuggling.

FORBES: Global Witness Responds to Tim Worstall Post