This is the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo - home to a long-running clashes between the government and rebel forces.<br/> <br />This week, that conflict seemed to ease as the government announced it was halting an offensive into rebel territory.<br/> <br />The suspension comes after hundreds of government troops defected during earlier fighting.<br/> <br />Activists in the region said the ceasefire smacked of a major government setback.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (French) ACTIVIST, MPOYI HOMMES, SAYING:<br/> <br />"I think this decision was made because it was clear that the operations did not produce the desired results."<br/> <br />The eastern region of this vast central African country remains unstable nearly 10 years after the signing of a peace deal ending a wider war.<br/> <br />Human rights workers say hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting and accused the Congolese army of crimes against humanity, including mass rape.<br/> <br />Andrew Raven, Reuters.
