David Miliband

This is written driving through Kinshasa - on one of about 500 miles of paved roads in a country 3 or is it 5 times the size of France. The football stadium and the parliament we drive by were built by the Chinese in the 1970s. The country is rich in minerals but around me I see rubble, lots of it, also bustling tyre shops, fruit stalls, lots of churches, adverts for mobile phones and very crowded minibuses on the roads.

The millions of deaths in and around the DRC over the last 20 years are etched on the world's memory. I hope to have time to visit the memorial in Kigali to the victims of the 1994 Genocide. Now there is a humanitarian crisis involving around a million refugees centred in the far east of the country.

that were struck in November 07 and January 08 respectively. He says he still believes in them. We need a process to implement them. That requires outside support, but it needs commitment here and in the region.

Saturday - Congo basin

The phrase "Congo basin", referring to forestry in the heart of the DRC and key to eco balance, conjures up something rather tidy and neat. Two hours flight time show it to be a ranging, seemingly endless morass of teeming trees. It's hard to stop watching.

Saturday - Goma

As we fly in to Goma the city seems busy. Lots of people out, little sign of panic. But even five minutes with the local Governor locates the problem: up to a million people in camps or just stretches of land outside the city. The drive to Kibati, preceded by a UN tank and soldiers from India and I think eastern Europe, was a highway of internally displaced persons (refugees, by definition, have crossed a border)making do on the side of the road. The waves and thumbs up to the convoy made the situation more desperate. In the camp the UN briefing amidst thousands of people waiting for help confirmed a picture of mounting potential for chaos. The needs are simple: food, water, clothing, sanitation. The basis is also clear: a continued cease fire and confidence for the aid workers that they can go about their business. The UN plan is for an aid corridor to be opened tomorrow, driving all the way north from Goma. Let's see.