5 years old and a general already! Alexander Haig has got nothing on this kid.

Seriously, I could have put this under the Congo SitReps from Carl but this one deserves its own thread. Child soldiers are a fact of life--and death--in Africa these days.

"They are fast. They are brave. They are everything a commander would want. So they are definitely still an asset to the mixed brigades". Who are they?

Child soldiers named by the CAAG acronym to mean Child Associated to Armed Groups. General Baraka, five years old, is a CAAG captured in Lubero territory and transferred to Goma tw days ago. Unicef has been asked to take care of him. He was commander of a mai mai (tribal warrior group) estimated at a brigade ; that's why Baraka' although a child, is officially known as brigadier General Baraka. He is hidden somewhere in Goma for security reason.

And if the 700 Club/Operation Blessing could do it while Stan and I were on the groumd in Goma, I guess the UN peacekeers can too. (And no, I did not make up the names):
UN peacekeepers patrolling eastern Congo allegedly traded gold and weapons with the militias they were supposed to help disarm, according to leaked UN reports. An investigation by the BBC World Service, to be broadcast today, alleges that Pakistani peacekeepers based in the mineral-rich area of Mongbwalu bought gold from two rebel commanders nicknamed Dragon and KungFu.
Best

Tom