An endeavour that started with some in doubt, hoping at the back of their minds it would soon flounder, is now receiving accolades from the highest quarters - the United Nations.

At a press conference given last week in NewYork, by John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, he cited reasons for optimism, over the developments in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Holmes said this following his tour of the DRC. He had a first hand feel of the situation on the ground that left him optimistic on the success of the Joint DRC-Rwanda operation to rout out the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

It is the second time the operation has received a nod from the UN, the first having been from the Envoy to the United Nations Secretary General former Niregian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

This ostensibly shames those who from the comfort of their homes, in front of computers, conjure up theories as to why the mission will not work.

Most of the time they base their evidence from some laptop/internet wielding ‘researcher’ who has not set foot in Goma; let alone talk to any of those who have since been demobilized.

It is speculation that gets such life on the internet that one may be excused for thinking perhaps there are two different eastern Congo’s under discussion.

This is the underpinning of a democratic process, there will always be differing view points. What is important is to agree on the basic principles, this is where Holmes who has just been in the Congo jungles, becomes an important factor. It is instructive to note that the key UN representative has welcomed the ‘new dynamic’ in the DRC.

The latest developments he calls ‘new dynamics’ are a source of much reprieve for he spoke to many who can now go back to their home countries. He cites the voluntary repatriation of Rwandans as picking, with hundreds crossing the border everyday.

A possibility for peace that had previously seemed illusive is now within reach. We have been reporting about those who have crossed the Rusizi border to Rwanda.

Testimony after testimony from young men, women, mothers, girls – tell a story of relief that the past is over.

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