Mine shafts snake under the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's mountains, but instead of the Congolese government their rich veins are making a mint for the Rwanda-backed M23. - 'Forced labour' - Sources close to the Congolese government accuse Rwanda of leading a war for control of the region's particularly fertile agricultural land.

Will offers of resource wealth to the US and other powers help bring militia violence to heel in the Democratic Republic of Congo before its too late?

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group and the allied Alliance Fleuve Congo have threatened, detained, and attacked journalists, critics, and civil society activists since capturing Goma in January. Restoring a measure of normalcy to the M23 occupied cities of Goma and Bukavu will mean allowing journalists and activists to do their jobs without threats,

Over the last 10 days, Kinshasa has won some battles; the US imposed sanctions on a Rwandan State minister James Kabarebe and M23 political spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka.

During the Senate's tour of 15 districts, including 11 along the international borders, Sen. Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu was shocked when he detected a Genocide ideology case involving a 12-year-old pupil who claimed that he could identify Hutu and Tutsi colleagues by merely looking at their palms.

The current fighting is the result of a decision by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to incite ethnic violence and to support groups that perpetrated the Rwanda genocide.

Since January, however, the rapid conquest and occupation of a huge area of the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and the M23 rebel group it supports has raised concerns that the principle may now be endangered.

The UK says it will also suspend future defense training assistance and demands that Kigali withdraw its troops from Congo.

Rwandan state minister for foreign affairs, James Kabarebe, said international sanctions against the country will reduce the incentive for Kinshasa to