Carl and Tom,
An odd place for a gathering or integration, considering what the agency used Kamina for. Swimming pools, et al.All the officers without posts have been ordered to go to Kamina for proper integration.
I'd be interested to know. We flew there many times on board a baby blue 727, complete with a maden on the tail
Starting to sound very Zairois. Integration would then mean...execution or simply purgatory ?
Regards, Stan
19 February SitRep
From Carl in Kinshasa
Also from Carl in the same email:Although the 8th military region in North Kivu has not planed operations yet, Col Makenga of Bravo Brigade would like to attack FDLR positions in the park and has asked populations at the south boundary to move elsewhere. Alpha Brigade has also agreed with Mai Mai fighters to jointly attack FDLR positions from Rwindi station in the centre of the park. Given the current location of the FDLR, we fear that our flights to the North will be flying over the battlefield. An alternative route West of the Nyiragongo mount or higher level can be a solution. We shall update the situation tomorrow in case operations are launched earlier.
Frequent house break-ins were reported last week, most targets being residences of NGO national staff. Some of the recent victims are a trainer of CIF house door was broken using a heavy stone and another was a WFP logistics assistant the assaulters found at his gate seeing off a late visitor.
I bet you are, Carl! If the FARDC follows the martial traditions of the Force Publique, the ANC, and then the FAZ, I am sure the "attack" will be much show and no go. As long as the FDLR can maintain bases in this area and support among certain European circles, they will be there. As I read what little comes out of the area, they are a non-threat to Rwanda at this stage. That said, they are a menace to any sort of equilibriium in the area.If the FARDC actually does attack the FDLR, from what i've been told in the past, they will get beat up. I don't remember anybody directly attacking the FDLR since i've been here. I wonder what is prompting the move.
The FDLR has been hanging around theDRC for over a decade. Do you think this prolonged stay will eventually cause them to wither on the vine?
Out of here on March 13th. looking forward to it.
Stan who knows on the integration--what amazes me are the same old players still playing the same old music and you know someone is getting rich by running the music hall.
best
Tom
20 February SitRep
From Carl soon to be leaving Kinshasa
Growing fears of a showdown between government troops and Rwandan Hutu rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have halted the return of tens of thousands of displaced persons to their homes in western Rutshuru and northern Masisi territories, OCHA information officer Andrew Zadel yesterday. Heavy shelling was reported in Kwenda river valley this morning, so some civilians have stared fleeing to Kiwanja where more others have been camping for more than a year now. Other IDPs are observed around lake Edward where Bravo mixed brigade attacked Mai Mai positions in Nyakakoma and Nyamitwitwi. As stated in my previous report, the Rutshuru valley is space to avoid when flying to the north.
The recruitment of child soldiers has continued in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite the government's efforts to integrate former militia into the army, a local human rights official has said. This finding has been confirmed by the United Nations Mission in the Congo, known as MONUC, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and some international NGOs concerned with child welfare. "The integrated brigades contain 257 children, namely 85 with Alpha Brigade, 95 with the Bravo Brigade and 77 with the Charlie Brigade. These figures are based on estimates by inspectors at the time the records were taken and not from official documents. Moreover, the figure for the Bravo Brigade included 35 children and an estimate of 60 for a battalion that they could not check."
The Bunia military court sentenced 15 soldiers to life imprisonment and a fine of $315, 000 each ; they were alleged to have massacred 30 civilians in Bavi (Ituri district) when a mass grave was discovered by UN Human Rights department. Four others were sentenced to life emprisonment for war crimes. In fact they were found guilty of murdering two UN peacekeepers in Mongwalu area in 2003.
Hey Tom !
Strange indeed, it doesn't appear to have changed much from a decade ago. How in God's name do they hang on ? They had little to eat when we were there and we propped the economy with our year togetherStan who knows on the integration--what amazes me are the same old players still playing the same old music and you know someone is getting rich by running the music hall.
I often wondered just how long such a feeble USG approach could last. How long would we pour money into this hole ? Were the Babbits and Gores convinced they could make a difference if POTUS hadn't won ?
Nigeria yes, but this is not typical Zairois. The youth were content with fulfilling dad's dream of becoming a quasi construction company manager (especially stealthy thief) and father of at least 3 before age 12, but not learning how to operate a M3 grease gun.The recruitment of child soldiers has continued in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Tom, are we going back as civiliansHeavy shelling was reported in Kwenda river valley this morning
I want extra, extra pay !
Regards, Stan
Stan and Tom:
I lost this thread and only now just found it again.
I've flown into Kamina Base twice in the last two years. The swimming pools are gone as is all the furniture and almost all of the people. The few people who are there just wander about the place with burdens on their heads like any other village. Most of the glass is still in the windows. (I've noticed the Congolese don't intentionally trash things like they do in poor neighborhoods in the US.)
The tower operator works with a handheld VHF comm and clears you to takeoff and land, if he has been able to charge his battery. The runways and the big hangers and what appear to be all the larger buildings are still there; all empty.
You two guys know this happens but for those who don't, I've heard of soldiers starving to death in various re-integration centers or in transit. One group got posted at Goma airport for weeks and weeks with 0, zero provisions. One general took the trains to be used for moving provisions to his troops and used them to start a railroad business to his hometown. Some of his guys starved.
Speaking of the LRA; one of our employees fought in the Ugandan wars for 3 years and operated against the LRA. He says they are VERY proficient in small unit infantry work.
Which reminds me; last year the UN brought in a Gueatemalan (sic) special forces unit to hunt down the LRA. They fought them once and got thumped. The UN has been very coy about providing details of that fight. Do you guys know anything about it? The most I could get from a UN guy was that "there are special forces, and then there are special forces."
Hi Carl !
I would agree and assume they will later steal the glass and want it to remain intact(I've noticed the Congolese don't intentionally trash things like they do in poor neighborhoods in the US.)
You're right, they don't simply destroy things. I honestly think they are looking at the future of selling it.
Going into the jungle means one is prepared. The Zairois were accustomed to life in the bush, and even the Belg wouldn't go in. Somebody else's backyard and jungle rules, but I doubt special forces.They fought them once and got thumped. The UN has been very coy about providing details of that fight. Do you guys know anything about it? The most I could get from a UN guy was that "there are special forces, and then there are special forces."
Kamina was a strange re-integration center, but appears to be a way of getting those out of the picture, and yes with no provisions. We saw what happened when the GOZ tried to send her 31st para out of Goma for "relocation". The 31st paras took matters into their own hands and hijacked the 727 back home.You two guys know this happens but for those who don't, I've heard of soldiers starving to death in various re-integration centers or in transit. One group got posted at Goma airport for weeks and weeks with 0, zero provisions.
Take care Carl !
Stan
The Latest from the Congo
Carl has been sending these and I have not posted them all.
Salient issues in the past few weeks included:
The DRC insituted a crackdown against private militias under the control of a favorite of both Stan and me, Mssr. Bemba. Bemba once started a minor shooting war over cellular phones while Stan and I watched. This crack down precipitated a fracas as described below. The author is not a native English speaker and the prose is a bit rough. Nevertheless is does convey life in the Congo. Gombe is the central part of Kinshasa where Stan and I lived and worked. Ndolo is the airport in the center of Kinshasa where the small carriers generally base from.
Hi Carl,
Very happy to hear about you. Shootings started on thursday 22 at around 10:30, we thought as usual the situation could be controlled after few hours. so we did not move from the office, we continued working. Good enough we had asked the pilots living at Lilas to move before 9:00, and it was done. hootings continued the whole day long and as you can see our area, we were surrounded by the soldiers from the camp, and those from Haut commandement street ( the street of wimbi dira) and it was difficult to go out. so we remained in the office till late and we finally decided to leave despite shootings. God helped, we reached our homes safely. Bemba's guys resisted the whole thursday and as the army used heavy machine guns the whole night, they were weakened and left Gombe for the city. Many people were supporting them on their way, they could only drink beer wherever they found it, and their target was the national police and the regular army oldiers and even the private security guards committed to the president Kabila. Down the city, the regular police could not face them, they all run away leaving behind their uniforms, boots, and even guns. They left the
communes and the containers empty. so Bemba's guys went up to Ndolo airport which was very open because all the soldiers living there run away. They went to our hungar as they thought some soldiers might have hidden their in. But there was only two of our guards, They started shooting inside the hangar, at least 15 bullets, they destroy the wall and one door. God is good, our guards were not hurt, not even the planes. So they asked them to open the gate and they did. they asked if Kabila's soldiers were inside and they also asked about their tribes; good for them because the two were from equateur (Bemba's province) and they said to them, we can not kill you bcs
you are our brothers and they left. I suppose that if they were from the East of the country, it could be another story.
We think that it is not the end because those guys left and we don't know exactly were they are for the moment. It seems some have crossed the river to Brazzaville, some are still in Kinshasa. After all something may happen. but the regular army is determined to finish with them.Since the end of this fighting Bemba was held up in the South African Embassy. He was escorted from the embassy and is now in exile in Portugal.OCHA/DRC
Humanitarian SitRep : Kinshasa
22-27 March 2007
1. Context
On 22 March, 2007, fighting erupted between Government forces and the DPP (armed
elements loyal to former VP Bemba) in the Gombe area of Kinshasa. Tensions had been on
the rise in recent weeks as a result of Bemba’s defiance of a Government order for the DPP
to disarm and present for “brassage”.
Clashes were intense in the city centre (Gombe), with heavy weaponry being used on both
sides including heavy shelling and continuous gunfire. The fighting gradually progressed
towards other neighbourhoods including Barumbu, Kinshasa, Lingwala, Limete and Lakamu.
By 24th March, Government forces had regained control of the city, and DPP elements were
surrendering to MONUC at various locations around the city. However, the axis Ndolo –
Beach area remains unstable.
2. Current Situation
As of 27 March, evaluation and assistance activities of various humanitarian organisations
continue throughout the city. To date, the available facts and figures are as follows:
- Official casualty figures have yet to be released by the Government. Humanitarian
actors providing assistance in the different medical facilities report the following
estimates: 36 deaths registered in 4 hospitals in the city; 172 others registered at the
municipal morgue; 12 other bodies were found yesterday at Kinsuka. A further 147
individuals are registered at these same hospitals with combat-related injuries.
- 200 DPP elements have surrendered to MONUC. By agreement with the
Government, MONUC is providing safe haven to 100 of these elements and 260
women and children family members.
- Although damages are still being assessed, no major destruction affected health
centres, water facilities, power plants, educational structures or other essential public
service infrastructure.
3. Protection concerns
Humanitarian organizations are monitoring a number of protection-related issues and
situations including:
- families and dependents of captured/surrendered DPPs,
- treatment by authorities of arrested street-children,
- suspected risk of sexual violence and human rights abuses, and
- the alleged exactions and arbitrary executions taking place in the city and in
retaliation of DPP supporters
4. Humanitarian Evaluations and Assistance
Given the nature of the armed confrontations, the main concern in terms of emergency
needs were those regarding the capacity of health facilities and appropriate medical
treatment for the wounded. The following is a list of activities that have taken place to date,
under the general coordination of the Ministry of Health:
- Caritas:
o Evaluation of all hospitals in Gombe as well as the Morgue
o Distribution of 300 litres of formol, antibiotics, disinfectants,
o Distribution of food rations for 1000 individuals,
o Caritas is planning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs,
to make a further distribution of medical kits, surgical equipment and further
food rations.
o Finally, they expect to deliver 250 coffins and 2 sheets per injured
- WHO:
o Distribution of 3 tonnes of essential drugs and surgical materials
o Distribution of 400 rolls of plaster and 100 sheets
- ICRC and MSF:
o Both organizations divided themselves the hospitals in the city in order to
evaluate casualties and provide assistance
o Assistance included surgical support, provision of surgical equipment,
medicines, antibiotic, plastic bags, etc
- UNICEF: UNICEF has been evaluating the situation of street-children and that of the
minor dependents of DPP elements currently sheltered by MONUC.
5. Issues to Watch
- DPP arms have reportedly fallen into the hands of street children (shegué), raising
concerns about the presence of uncontrolled arms in the city;
- There are fears of reprisals by governmental forces against alleged DPP supporters
and sympathisers.
- There is a high potential for exacerbation of ethnic tensions (lingalophones vs.
swahiliphones)
But the good news is that Belgian Foreign Minister has called for a reform of the DRC's armed forces so that further incidents will be avoided.
And if you believe that last part, I have water front property in Gombe I want to sell you.
Tom
U.N. Evacuates Staff from Congo
Starting to sound very familar, all over again. Even with 18,000 peace keepers, we can't seem to keep a lid on K-town. Doesn't look like we've learned much in the last two decades...leaving military observers unarmed around the former Zäirois.
KINSHASA, Congo -- The U.N. evacuated dozens of staff Wednesday from a remote east Congo town after mobs of stone-throwing protesters angry over the possible return of refugees from a minority ethnic group ransacked U.N. and other humanitarian agencies there, officials said.
The protesters, angry over rumors of the return of ethnic Congolese Tutsis, or Banyamulenge, looted a house used by the U.N. observers and wrecked the offices of the U.N. refugee agency and other aid groups, de Brosses said.
Despite the end of the mineral-rich country's wars in 2002, eastern Congo has remained a lawless and violent place where local militias hold sway far from the distant capital, Kinshasa.
Damn took a while to even find Moba, Stan. It is south of Kalemie on Lake Tanganyika, which is funny because I don't recall this being the area where the Congolese Tutsis, or Banyamulenge,came from in the first place. I thought they were from further north. Then again you never really need a good reason to riot in the Congo...
Best
Tom
If I recall correctly, the Banyamulenge (the French and Belg called them collectivité Barundi...it was far easier to pronounce in FrenchOriginally Posted by Tom Odom
Our drivers often spoke about the Barundi stealing jobs from the Zäirois (as if the Zäirois were dying to get jobs or for that matter, work for a living).
All Africa reports: Calm Returns After Anti-Banyamulenge Demo.
So Tom, What do ya think ? Nothing left to steal or drink"After a day of looting, stone-throwing and break-ins into offices, the town is now calm and the last group of UN staff being evacuated is at the airport," Eusebe Hounsokou, the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in DRC, said on 2 August from Lubumbashi, the provincial capital.
At the JRTC we would call it a tactical freeze or pause--stop long enough to let them resupply and resume operations. Works in Louisiana, will work in the CongoSo Tom, What do ya think ? Nothing left to steal or drink
that is true on the 60's surge but there were earlier when the Tutsi King controlled much of this area. Dissident Tutsi family groups moved outward to get away from the King's power and stayed where they were after that power receded. We are talking the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
best
Tom
Congo - Des milles collines ?
For Tutsis of Eastern Congo, Protector, Exploiter or Both?
By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, August 6, 2007
Video and more at the link...Villagers said that earlier this year Nkunda hoisted a flag and declared his mountain fiefdom a new country: Land of the Volcanoes.
KICHANGA, Congo -- On the way to the mountain headquarters of renegade Congolese Gen. Laurent Nkunda, there are villages patrolled by Laurent Nkunda's police and checkpoints where Nkunda's soldiers demand that truck drivers pay a tax to support their leader's cause.
Local residents can settle disputes these days in Nkunda's courts or attend church with a priest appointed by Nkunda, who is wanted on war crimes charges but lately has been wearing a button that reads "Rebels for Christ."
Tom, Looks like he forgot his Ray-bans, rappel seat and carabiner. But then, perhaps he's not airborne qualified
Last edited by Stan; 08-06-2007 at 07:48 AM.
Never a good sign referring to yourself in the 3rd person...I wonder what Tom Odom would think?"Is it really Nkunda who is the problem?" asked Nkunda, who carries a gold-tipped baton and often refers to himself in the third person. "They want to keep me as the problem so that they can explain all the problems in Congo through Nkunda. . . . But I will protect myself, and I will protect these small number of Tutsis who are here."
Charles, I know. He is quite adroit and when it comes to the international relations game, there is no one better. See this interview for an example."Rwanda cannot establish a relationship with such a person, but we can understand why Nkunda is Nkunda," Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Murigande said in an interview. "We can understand his argument."
Armed with a sense of righteousness fortified by visiting American evangelical Christian groups, Nkunda has in recent months been carrying out attacks against village after village.
One has to wonder which evangelicals have hooked up with Nkunda.
Best
Tom
I knew a Congolese woman from Moba. Her family had a cattle farm in the area before they were all run out in the late wars. We picked her up in Lubumbashi and landed in Bujumbura on the way back to Kin. She was very nervous in Bujumbura and said if she left the airport she was afraid they would kill her.
She told me that when she was a girl she had to run for her life twice. Both times a neighbor came and told them the soldiers were coming so her mother took her into the bush and they stayed there for months. They went into the bush with the clothes they were wearing and what they had in their pockets. She said they slept on the ground drank from streams, ate what they could find and what people from villages would give them.
I never realized until talking with that woman how all those millions of displaced Congolese died.
"Rwanda cannot establish a relationship with such a person, but we can understand why Nkunda is Nkunda," Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Murigande said in an interview. "We can understand his argument."
In Kinshasa, the conventional wisdom was that Nkunda was Rwanda's man in the Congo.
Congolese have fled into Uganda
Reuters reports - Ugandan army says 10,000 refugees flee Congo
A Ugandan military spokesman said the refugees feared renewed clashes between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) troops and forces loyal to General Laurent Nkunda after Nkunda organised an anti-U.N. demonstration that turned into a riot.
"Approximately 10,000 people have come from the Congolese side fearing renewed violence ... local district authorities and aid organisations are trying to help them," said Uganda's army spokesman for western Uganda, Lieutenant Tabaro Kiconco.
Kiconco said the refugees told officials in Uganda's Kisoro District that they expected more fighting after villagers, urged on by Nkunda's men, rioted on Tuesday in protest against U.N. troops they said failed to protect them from militias.
More pressure is needed to flush out FRDL and ex-FAR insurgents
Rwanda's News Agency covers the abysmal results of talks held in April, where Rwandan officials thought they managed to get an agreement - telling the DRC to crack down on FDLR forces in hiding.
More at the link and also at Allafrica.comAs Tripartite Plus army chiefs map out strategies to do away with Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) guerrillas in D R Congo, political opposition parties in Europe have announced a plan to cooperate with the rebels, RNA reports.
Brussels based Paternariat Intwari of CNA-Ubumwe, FDRL-CMC and PDN of former Rwandan Defense Minister Gen. Ben Habyalimana and journalist Deo Mushayidi say they want to merge with the guerrillas to oust the Kigali government.
"Those people (FDLR) are fighting because they have a reason. So because we all have the same case we want to come together to solve the same cause", Mushayidi said yesterday on a BBC great lakes program.
The FDLR are Rwandans, the RPF are also Rwandans and all the parties you hear about are Rwandans as well - so all we are saying is that we have the right to meet, he said.
Army chiefs from the four-member countries under the tripartite plus commission framework are in Kigali for a two-day meet. The countries are Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and DR Congo.
Nkunda Hands Over FDLR Rebels to UN
From All Africa via Kigali's New Times, "Congolese rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda has handed over 50 war captives of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) to the UN Mission in DR Congo, Monuc."
The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monuc) urged "renegade troops fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo to integrate into the country's regular army. The call on Saturday came as the UN humanitarian chief told Al Jazeera that the Nord-Kivu province is suffering from a level of violence and brutality not seen anywhere else in the world".We handed them over to MONUC because we want to prove to the UN that we are fighting FDLR who are being supported by DR Congo Government," Nkunda's spokesman Rene Munyarugerero said by telephone from North Kivu yesterday.
Prevalence of rape in East Congo described as worst in the world - Washington Post, 9 Sep.
The prevalence and intensity of sexual violence against women in eastern Congo are "almost unimaginable," the top U.N. humanitarian official said Saturday after visiting the country's most fragile region, where militia groups have preyed on the civilian population for years.
John Holmes, who coordinates U.N. emergency relief operations, said 4,500 cases of sexual violence have been reported in just one eastern province since January, though the actual number is surely much higher. Rape has become "almost a cultural phenomenon," he said.
"Violence and rape at the hands of these armed groups has become all too common," said Holmes, who spent four days in eastern Congo. "The intensity and frequency is worse than anywhere else in the world."
The chronic sexual violence is just one facet of a broader environment of insecurity that still defines eastern Congo after a decade-long war that killed an estimated 4 million people, mostly from hunger and other effects of being driven from their homes ...
Even as far back as 1994, sexual violence in the eastern province was seen as an integral part of the war. The military forces involved in these acts were often rewarded by their leaders, government officials or powerful patrons.
In Rwanda, soldiers raped women as part of a general attack, while they killed and injured civilians and pillaged and destroyed property.
As long as such a sick climate exists with no form of punishment, females will continue to be targeted.
DR Congo SITREP and 850 more Peacekeepers on the way
OCHA North Kivu Humanitarian Situation Report - 12 Sep 2007
India to send 850 peacekeepers to CongoCONTEXT
The Congolese army, Laurent Nkunda’s troops and FDLR/Mayi-Mayi remain on their positions in and around Sake and following the cessation of hostilities agreed on September 6th, despite some breaches reported in Ngungu and Rubaya, in Masisi district.
A UN vehicle (MONUC) was stoned on September 11th in Nyamilima, in Ruthsuru district. No one was injured, but this incident keeps increasing insecurity on all UN staff as there is a risk of confusion among the population between MONUC and UN agencies.
MONUC has appealed to all parties in conflict to respect the cessation of hostilities and find a peaceful solution to the situation.
POPULATION MOVEMENTS
In the past days, most of the population from Sake and Ufumandu (Masisi territory) has moved east towards Mugunga, and south along the Kivu Lake shore and Minova in South Kivu. Access to these areas is less restricted than in areas north or west of Sake.
NEW DELHI: India is sending a fresh contingent of 850 military personnel to Congo to bolster its UN peacekeeping troops presence in that country to over 4,666 personnel.
A battalion of the 6th Sikh Light Infantry would leave here on September 16 to take up peacekeeping responsibility in the Southern Katanga region of the strife-torn country.
The Sikh troops, who would replace those of the Rajputana Rifles, were today given a farewell by the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Susheel Gupta.
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