External Influences
- The UN claimed that Angolan troops were active in the conflict, though this was denied by Angola, who had stated it would support government troops if called upon.
- In May 2008 China lent the DRC approximately $9 billion USD to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and revitalize industry, along with a January investment of $35 million into the Congo's post office in the same year. Nkunda demanded these grants be reviewed, he said, "so that the Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral resources are not hypothecated and so that we can have a bright future."
- Rwandan troops were reported to have been active in the conflict.
- Zimbabwean troops were reportedly drawn into the conflict, supporting the government side at their request.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Nord-Kivu Campaign
Famous quotes related to external influences:
“When a person hasn’t in him that which is higher and stronger than all external influences, it is enough for him to catch a good cold in order to lose his equilibrium and begin to see an owl in every bird, to hear a dog’s bark in every sound.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)