The most troubled spots can be found in Central Africa, which teeters on the brink of constant Hutu-Tutsi conflict, a clash between social classes left over from colonialist days. The rebels are armed and backed by the governments of Rwanda and Uganda, which is itself supported by troops from Chad, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Namibia. The continent's leaders have tried to hold peace talks among rival factions in neutral Burundi, but the horrors of the Rwandan genocide loom large in everyone's memory.
Proxy wars are common with one nation fighting another by using another nation's armed forces.
Democratic rebels currently hold most major cities in Central Africa. Immediately south of the Congo is Zambia, perhaps Africa's most aid-dependent nation, where there is much international effort, mostly from the World Bank, to get the government there to institute reforms before neighboring rebels attack or revolution takes place. In Zambia, as in most troubled African nations, the goal is to get government to provide the services and benefits that governments are supposed to bring, such as employment, food, health care, and education. Immediately north of the Congo are Angola and Sudan, which have also been sites of international reform efforts, this time on the part of church-led organizations. Other interesting patterns of church-led international involvement can be found in Chad, Senegal, Eritrea, and Somalia.