Christmas wishes to the UN
Congolese Style :wry:
Shortly following MONUC’s mandate extension through 31 May 2010 and indications that the mandate would be further extended 12 months beyond that date, the ever appreciative opposition sent some members death threats :eek:
Quote:
In a new release, the mission, known as MONUC, said that three members of the UN Joint Human Rights Office and seven members of a local human rights organizations received anonymous death threats on their mobile phones on 24 December.
And a little awareness advice to the parents...
Quote:
... Jean Sayinzoga, the chairman of the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, warned parents to prevent their children from participating in the ongoing war in Eastern DRC between dissidents of the FDLR and between the Congolese army (FARDC) and its allies.
He was obviously addressing the all volunteer force?
Better to find and turn off the flow of weapons and ammunition
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Van
I welcome correction or criticism, especially from Tom (the regional SME), but it seems to me that guns-for-bikes is better thought out than gun-for-cash.
I’ll wing this one without too much criticism based on a decade of living there (Tom can chime in when he is well rested).
First off, an armed Congolese has little use for trading a firearm for a bike or cash. Both are obtainable at gunpoint (got to think like they do if you hope to make any sense of this). Cash is however a better incentive than say a bicycle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Van
Cash seems likely to get re-invested in better guns or spent on drugs, ladies of negotiable affection, etc. Bikes can be the basis for several service industries (all manner of delivery services and travelling tradesmen), support to commuting further than walking is practical for, and creates the need for a supporting industry (bike repair). Sort of like the priciple behind 'micro-loans'.
Cash in the Congo is rarely spent on better weapons, and alcohol and ladies are too easily obtainable. Purchasing “better” weapons is not a task for the common individual. Of all the people I met and worked with, I never met one interested in commuting, delivering services or for that matter, working.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Van
This having been said, all of the reservations about re-use of the swapped guns, broken/worn-out guns being swapped, accuracy of reporting by the reverend, etc are, sadly, beyond dispute.
Tom has a valid point – the traded weapon(s) will not be destroyed and the bartering cycle will merely start all over again.
The reverend much like several organizations tend to over-rate their so-called foothold or status with government officials in the DRC. Such relationships rarely work without cash and are at best short-lived adventures.
Fighting in Mbandaka, airport lost and re-taken
Quote:
The organisation said more than 200,000 people had fled the violence since a tribal dispute over fishing rights flared in October and a local witchdoctor led an attack on Dongo, 100 km (62 miles) north of Mbandaka, killing hundreds.
Equateur's Vice Governor Vincent Mokako said Mbandaka had been taken by surprise on Easter Sunday when 100-150 fighters attacked as people were attending mass, and that the civilian population was still hiding in its houses on Monday.
Analysts said a long-standing row between the Enyele, a sub-tribe of the Lobala, and the Boba, may have been hijacked by groups trying to foment trouble in the region, which was once favoured by government but is now an opposition stronghold.
This is the link to the Reuters story the above quote came from.
http://af.reuters.com/article/drcNew...nnel=0&sp=true
This is the first I've heard of this. Tom, Stan, M-A, Michael, are you guys familiar with the groups involved?
(Moderator: I didn't know where to put this so I put it here. No problem)
More than 150 women raped in Congolese village
Just watched this on CNN and my better half almost puked at the very thought (as well as my cold reaction to such a horrific set of events).
Quote:
(CNN) -- Two armed groups raped more than 150 women in a village in the volatile North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a four-day spree, a United Nations official said Monday.
She no longer wonders why I turned down a lucrative tour with a humanitarian EOD element in the DRC :wry:
Truly, a sad state.
When Hope is the Only Hope
Quote:
The United States of America and the Democratic Republic of Congo are committed to a partnership to train and professionalize a FARDC battalion that will respect and protect the Congolese people...
"We are training an initial battalion," Garvelink added, "and hopefully that's a platform from which additional training of Congolese troops can be done by very well trained Congolese troops. So we hope that the training will continue and expand under the direction and leadership of the Congolese military itself."
One battalion, just one, would be a miracle...we have now tried to do that off and on for half a century.
Bonne chance
Bon courage
Tom