At the beginning of February, the African Union met at an annual summit to discuss ongoing regional conflicts. One consistent concern across the board was the ongoing unresolved violence and tensions within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the past couple of months, the M23 rebel group has taken over major cities including Goma and Bukavu, internally displacing hundreds of thousands of Congolese citizens and creating food insecurity for those who have had to flee their crops and sources of livelihood. In some cases famine has gotten so bad that many are considering returning to their ravaged homes, more willing to put their lives at risk returning to their crops than starve to death. Despite the increasing tensions, the government of DRC continues to refuse to meet with the M23 rebel group, partially because of the uninvited armed forces that have been coming in through Rwanda to support the rebel group. The DRC government says that it is not their fault that the conflict continues, and that if peace is to come Rwanda must withdraw its support for the M23 and for the rebel group to step down. 

On another note, Syrian volunteer EMTs and firefighters continue to try to help rebuild Syria after the fall of the Assad Regime. The Syrian Civil Defense, better known as the ‘White Helmets' have transformed an old military base in Aleppo into an emergency response hub as they continue to try to rebuild the devastated city. After thirteen years of war, there is much for the White Helmets to do such as clearing rubble, demining buildings, and searching for mass graves to bring resolution to the many families who have yet to find their loved ones. Aleppo was one of the most devastated cities during the war, however, they are not looking for revenge, but rather rebuilding and healing for the Syrian people. What matters now is returning crucial social services and rebuilding the devastated communities.