Photojournalist tells of 'shocking' reality for civilians displaced by DR Congo conflict
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Despite ongoing peace talks, fighting continues in parts of DR Congo between local forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The M23 has taken control of much of the eastern part of DR Congo since January – its first major advance being the capture of Goma in North Kivu province. Award-winning photojournalist Hugh Kinsella Cunningham has been documenting these takeovers as well as their impact on civilians. Speaking on FRANCE 24's Perspective programme, he described how civilians were ordered by the rebels to leave displacement camps and return to their villages, which had been ravaged by fighting.
"People were laying out tarpaulins to catch rainwater," Cunningham said. While noting that negotiations for a final peace deal seem to show "some promise", he said that civilians have already paid a heavy price, including millions being displaced. "It's so tragic that the lives of so many are influenced by decisions of so few."