Living a nightmare in the Congo

Post columnist Michael Gerson and actor Ben Affleck heard tales of atrocities during a visit to the town of Dungu. The photos, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of the Eastern Congo Initiative, founded by Affleck.

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The Lord's Resistance Army has committed atrocities for decades, first in northern Uganda and more recently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Here, actor Ben Affleck listens to survivors in Dungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

There are signs, such as the release of some captive women and children, that pressure on the fighters is increasing. In this image, Ben Affleck is on the left and philanthropist Howard G. Buffett is on the right.

Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA and a self-proclaimed prophet, remains at large in a jungle camp. (File photo, Nov. 2006)

Stuart Price / AP

The Security Threat Assessment sign in Dungu warns of the likelihood of attack from the region’s armed groups. Threat Level 5 is reserved for all-out war.

United Nations peacekeepers seek to protect civilians. Here, an armored UN vehicle patrols on the road between the UN MONUSCO base and the airfield in Dungu.

A UN soldier guards the front entrance to the MONUSCO base in Dungu.

A UN MONUSCO tower next to the Dungu airport monitors incoming and outgoing flights.

There is hope that Ugandan troops, advised by the U.S. military, may be able to break the LRA and allow normal life to return. Here, a women carries heavy jugs of water on the road to Dungu.

A farmer hauls a load of forage on his bicycle on the road to Dungu.

Philanthropist Howard Buffett, Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson, and actor Ben Affleck meet with civil society leaders in Dungu.

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