But three of the key participants in the Congo conflict failed to come to the meetings Mr. Mandela held here.
In the Congo conflict, South Africa is in a particularly difficult situation because it has been selling arms to Rwanda.
The long-awaited peace talks to end the Congo conflict opened here this week, but ending that country's intractable civil war is clearly a long way off.
Over the years, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe have lent a hand to one side or another in the Congo conflict.
The tangle of colonial history and ethnic rivalries in the Congo conflict means, moreover, that any such force must be seen as impartial.
Not focused on the current Congo conflict, but useful in understanding "ethnic conflict" generally in Africa.
By several accounts, General Powell is well versed in the Congo conflict.
That is where some of the ethnic conflicts that touched off the long Congo conflict still fester.
The Darfur humanitarian crisis and the Congo conflict are great examples of Africa's state of collapse now.
No there is nothing wrong in describing what is going on in the Congo conflict.