Gazing in the Congo (DRC): the dark heart of Africa (2006-2017)

[CrowBat]

Negotiations with M23, sigh...

What's the point of negotiating with supposed M23 leaders, when the body actually controlling them is the Rwandan reg....ho-hum, 'government'?

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/p...ngolese_mutiny

...and when they are supported by (US-trained) Rwandan special forces?
http://allafrica.com/stories/201209050850.html

One can only hope that Kigali was speaking truth at least that one time, when it announced these special forces were back inside Rwanda, last year:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201209031017.html

- Back in period 1998-2003 (and after), such announcements/promises were not worth the paper on which they were issued...

Even if, the 'core' of the M23 was initially of Rwandan origin too (of course, Kigali would say the people in question are all 'Congolese Tutsi/Banyamulenge', 'fighting against genocidary government and for their right to exist'), and I doubt this has changed very much ever since:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ongo-rebels-un

[davidbfpo]

An assessment from an IISS analyst:

A revolutionary new UN combat brigade may have helped the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) army to defeat a rebellion in the country’s troubled east. The rebel group M23 (March 23) declared this week that it was laying down its arms, bringing to an end an 18-month insurgency in which 80,000 have been displaced and thousands killed or injured.

However, there are dozens of armed groups in mineral-rich eastern DRC besides the Tutsi-led M23, and the Congolese government has now said that it will pursue others. A government spokesman pointed to the Rwandan-Hutu FDLR as a top priority.

Link:http://www.iiss.org/en/iiss%20voices...r-the-m23-447e

Sounds like a perpetual intervention, assuming the contributors remain committed, my emphasis:

It consists of 3,069 personnel from South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi, with two infantry battalions, one artillery company, and one special forces company. The brigade is also believed to have added two attack helicopters and four utility helicopters to MONUSCO’s existing aerial capabilities.

[AdamG]

The death of Col. Mamadou Ndala comes barely two months after he led the Congolese army to a historic victory against the country's most serious rebels, with the help of a United Nations brigade. It is another blow to a devastated country where an untold number have died in nearly two decades of conflict. It also hurts efforts to make Congo responsible for its own security; the turbulent nation is now host to the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission in the world.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=261284780

[carl]

Adam G:

That is remarkable, a good Congolese officer who got something good out of his men. What isn't so remarkable is the suspicion that some on his own side killed him.

[davidbfpo]

Thanks to John Beretto's Tweet:

Hover over a name to see a brief bio, or a line to see the connection between two names. Darker lines indicate stronger connections.

The eastern DRC remains plagued by dozens of foreign and regional armed groups. The M23 rebel group emerged in 2012 as one of the most formidable armed groups in DRC, carrying out brutal attacks, executing prisoners of war, and recruiting child soldiers. The group collapsed in November 2013 following a military campaign by the Congolese armed forces, backed by the UN Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO). Even so, the UN Group of Experts reported in December 2013 that a number of sanctioned M23 leaders continue to move freely in Uganda and that M23 members continue to openly recruit members in Rwanda despite declaring an end to their rebellion on 5 November 2013. Also, numerous armed groups in the DRC continue to pose security threats, such as the FDLR and ADF, who are responsible for grave human rights violations and massive displacement.

The interactive graphic shown on the left visualizes the complex M23 support networks documented in UN report S/2012/843, pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004).

Link:http://www.stabilityjournal.org/host...upport-in-drc/

[davidbfpo]

A long article, by National Geographic, complete with a short history back to the 1960's, with some stunning photos of beauty and the invariably grim human terrain. It has some pungent phrases too. Best of all it has a current map, hence below. Sorry it is so large, yet to discover the art of shrinking.



Link:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ntion-brigade/

One has to ask if the UN can ever be successful in Eastern Congo (DRC). Is there an exit plan, I think not.

[davidbfpo]

An update on the situation in the east, where the UN has to make up its mind whether to coerce the FDLR - or more accurately will the Intervention Brigade's main contributors do the hard work (South Africa & Tanzania). Not to exclude Rwanda, which can complicate matters when it wants to.

Written from a South African angle, hence the questions whether the SANDF should act:www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2015-01-05-will-south-africa-really-go-to-war-in-the-drc-again/?

Our regular correspondent and SME on the Great Lakes region M-A Lagrange alas no longer posts, IIRC he still works in the area, but for a different agency.