I'm thinking AFRICOM will sub-contract !Originally Posted by carl
Tom's long overdue for a 4th. He probably should give up his day job, leaving more time for the Bambie hunts
A 4th book however may mean a return to WAWA and I ain't going. Previous editions sent Tom to Belgium for historical data. This time however, he can just ask himself how bad the Sierra was.
As always, you and I will provide support, at the FOBs
EDIT: What in creation is that in the picture ? Now here's a squirrel with balls !
Last edited by Stan; 01-09-2008 at 08:23 PM.
1. Leavenworth Paper #14 Dragon Operations
2. Shaba II The French and Belgian Intervention in Zaire in 1978
3. Certain Victory the US Army in the Gulf War, Co author with Bob Scales and Terry Johnson
4. Journey Into Darkness Genocide in Rwanda
#5? Who knows?
Tom, speaking of "Certain Victory"
Do you recall Rex Davis during that effort at Leavenworth?
Ken,Do you recall Rex Davis during that effort at Leavenworth?
Sorry, no. We did Certain Victory in the old Post Offce at Ft Monroe. Called ourselves "The Mailhouse Gang".
Was he somehow tagged with us?
Best
Tom
He said he was
But then he said a lot of things...
I do know he was briefly at Leavenworth in mid '91 and involved with the after action wrap up on DS/DS.
No biggie. Interesting Dude -- in the Chinese wish sense.
Ken, is this by any chance then MAJ Rex Davis who contributed to Urban Combat Operations, chapter 3 ?But then he said a lot of things...
I do know he was briefly at Leavenworth in mid '91 and involved with the after action wrap up on DS/DS.
No biggie. Interesting Dude -- in the Chinese wish sense.
Damn, talk about a small world. Our Dave D. wrote chapter 2, Intelligence !
Uh Oh ...Gortex is hangin there
Probably not. The one I mentioned was
a COL, retired in late 91 or early 92.
Congolese refugee influx into Uganda
Uganda's The New Vision reports another influx of 8,000 Congolese refugees escaping the fighting in eastern Congo.
The refugee influx started on Friday, as Congolese from villages close to the Ugandan border entered Bunagana in Kisoro district.
The Congolese army deployed three helicopter gunships against Nkunda’s forces and Mai Mai militias, prompting thousands of residents to flee their homes in northeast Goma, AFP reported on Sunday.
Civilians also told AFP that they fled Rwandan Hutu rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
In August and September, about 30,000 Congolese fled North Kivu to Kisoro to escape skirmishes between the Congolese army and the local population there.
Two Congolese admitted in a hospital in Bunagana with bullet wounds told UNHCR officials that they were caught in the cross-fire as fighting raged around their homes on Saturday morning.
Cholera outbreak in Congo
Looks a lot like 1994 only this time the war is on the other side of the border keeping most of the Aid agencies from assisting.
Congo refugee camps threatened by cholera
More than 45,000 displaced people now live in five overcrowded camps on the edge of Goma where aid agencies are struggling to maintain minimum hygiene standards.
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it recorded 533 cases of cholera at health centres it supports, in both the camps and Goma, over the past six weeks.
"The main crisis is in the camps around Goma," said Patrick Lavand'homme, head the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Goma.
Some 189 cases were reported between Oct. 24 and 28, mostly in the camps for the displaced, he said.
UN Official Decries Sexual Violence, Urges Stronger Response
A senior United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today decried the problem of sexual violence in the war-torn country, saying perpetrators are mostly police, military and militia members but civilians are increasingly involved, and calling for stronger response measures.
"This is an extraordinary large problem. It is not just an anecdotal problem but a massive one that demands we all combined try and make sure that essentially not only women who are victims of rape and abuse are treated but that sexual violence must stop," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Deputy Special Representative Ross Mountain.
He voiced particular concern about the conflict in North Kivu where since September, about 150,000 people have fled their homes, bringing the total in the province as a whole to about 800,000 displaced persons.
With the continuous tense situation in DRC's troubled eastern region triggering more sexual violence against women, he said that while statistics are hard to come by, "we are dealing literally with hundred of thousands of victims over the last couple of years."
Stan:
on the road from the Bukavu airport to town i used to see the women toting the giant loads on their backs, all bent over and tramping, tramping, tramping. impossibly hard manual labor every day of their lives and to add an almost certain rape on top of it; everytime i saw one of those women my heart broke.
Carl
Hey Carl !
Glad to hear from you...wondered, what's that guy up to in Iraq these days ?
After nearly 10 years there, watching push carts (mostly males) and women with a case of beer on their heads, I had the same thoughts. I don't want to sound cruel herein, but rape in Zaire while I was there was not as horrific as we the West consider such an evil deed.
I recall the CDC folks explaining that a city of 5 million and 35% of the heterosexual community was HIV positive, and Russian roulette would be safer (we had one of those too at the embassy).
IMO, the number of rape victims back then were nearly the same. But, we were supporting Mobutu and his regime...we tended to look the other way so long as we could use Zaire to stage against Angola and the Russians. When Mo fell out of grace (read ran out of useful purpose) we really messed up his days of fortune and favors.
Honestly, nothing has changed other than our attention in that part of Africa.
Case in point. As Tom and I sat in the middle of a refugee crisis wondering what the folks in K-town were doing and why we weren't getting support, the embassy was planning a quiet way out, by explaining this would last but a week or two, tops
Rape victims were hardly worth reading (Tom reported those too).
Regards, Stan
Stan:
do you really think there was as much rape in congo in before 94 as
there is now? there are more armed groups running around now than
there were then. i always read there is more now, but you and Tom are
the guys who should know. the sight of those women bent over carrying
those huge loads will always stay with me.
Ala Zaïrois
Hey Carl,
Per our e-mails, here are my observations and overall opinion.
First (forgive me for this reality check), the Zairians never considered or defined getting laid by force as rape. Whether or not the 'partner' was willing, is not relevant. We could call this 'date rape' but an entirely different set of customs, traditions and mind set.
Case in point: While in Gbadolite on an MTT (Tom was in fact in Zaire, but we never met) training on 113s and 114s, and M2HBs, one of the Special Presidential Division (DSP) officers told us (my team) we could have 'anything' we wanted tonite, and to point her out once we've decided. One of the team members decided he would go for it. The next morning he told us he could not go through with 'it' although she was extremely sexy and otherwise available. She was told by the DSP officer, that this Soldier wants you, and your President dictates that you perform. The women cried and begged, and finally our team member returned to the hotel 'no joy'. That was a rather friendly form of almost rape. Had that DSP officer wanted it for himself...well, far less conversation.
I doubt that the levels or rape being reported are that high, but I also doubt people reporting these instances have a clue as to what they think goes on each and every day in Zaire. The press and UN have brought the issue to the surface and created an otherwise typical Zairian day into a nightmare.
Carl, it's not right...it's sick. It however takes place from the top down to the very last individual, and not just in the bush. I met plenty of Belgians who did the very same (my twisted 55 year-old neighbor). I have no idea what the extent is, but conclude it's little more than normal for Zairians.
Regards, Stan
Congo Agrees to FDLR Disarmament Plan
Yet another plan, blessed by the U.N. and full of political rhetoric. MONUC would be wise to view any agreements tied to physical movement (of Congolese soldiers) in the DRC with great care and skepticism.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reached an agreement that will see the latter disarm and expel genocidal forces, grouped in what is known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
DRC agreed to prepare a detailed plan to disarm the militia, while the UN Mission in Congo (Monuc) agreed to 'provide support to the planning and subsequent implementation consistent with its mandate and capacities.'
The plan will be shared with the Rwandan government by December 1, the communiqué added.
Insurgents attack Army positions and Refugees flee camps
Congo refugees flee after attack near camp, By Joe Bavier, KINSHASA (Reuters)
Thousands of refugees fled camps in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's violent North Kivu province on Tuesday after the army said Tutsi-dominated insurgents attacked its positions nearby.
Army officials said they repelled the dawn raid on their positions near the Mugunga camp 10 km (6 miles) from the provincial capital, Goma, killing 27 fighters loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda.
"There's a massive movement of displaced towards Goma. It's thousands of people. They're packed onto the road, carrying whatever they can," Aya Shneerson, director of the U.N.'s World Food Programme in Goma, told Reuters by telephone on the main road from the camps into the city.
Tuesday's fighting followed diplomatic pressure to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in North Kivu, which some fear could escalate to full-scale war. Both the U.N. and U.S. have sent high-level delegations to North Kivu this month.
On Saturday, Congo and Rwanda agreed to collaborate to rid eastern Congo of the Hutu-dominated rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), whose presence is a cause of the current crisis.
UN Refugee Agency Helps Hundreds of Displaced Return to Ituri
Now here's an interesting approach..truck em home.
I may have to once again ask Tom why we didn't just bus the folks back across the borders
The United Nations refugee agency has this week begun an operation to return hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to their homes in the troubled north-eastern province of Ituri by the end of the year.
On Monday a convoy organized by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) took about 210 Congolese from Beni in North Kivu province, which has become extremely volatile this year, along bush tracks to the town of Komanda, which is located in Ituri.
A second convoy, this time carrying 216 returnees, left Beni early today bound for Ituri province, according to a press report issued by UNHCR.
Two convoys each week are planned over the next month so that eventually an estimated 2,400 Congolese should be able to return to Ituri, with further returns dependent on demand.
Latest Sitrep From South kivu
The Lord's Resistance Army, Ebola, and Incompetent Governors: C'est Normale! C'est le Congo!
Assembly members passed a motion of no-confidence against Cibalonza, the
South Kivu governor on 14 November, saying he had managed the province's
affairs badly and had failed to tackle rampant insecurity. Under the
constitution, a governor subjected to a no-confidence motion is supposed to
hand his resignation to the national president within 24 hours and dissolve
his provincial government. The governor has flown to Kinshasa for
consultation, but there is a developing crisis involving the civil society,
students, religious leaders and politicians of course..
A group of dissidents from Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army rebel group is
preparing to surrender to United Nations peacekeepers in the DR Congo,
western diplomats in Kinshasa told Reuters on Monday. A MONUC spokesman
contacted by Reuters declined to comment. The LRA agreed to a truce during
peace talks held in southern Sudan in August 2006. But the movement's top
leaders have stayed hidden in Congo(Garamba park), fearing arrest.
Health officials declared the end of an outbreak of deadly Ebola
haemorrhagic fever, believed to have killed up to 187 people over 8 months.
Congo's Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that a
42-day period following the death of the last Ebola victim had ended on
November 13. Two towns (Mweka and Luebo) were affected by the outbreak in Kasai Occidental some months ago. .
Last edited by Tom Odom; 11-20-2007 at 07:52 PM.
Breadbasket of the Belgian Congo
Seems Governor Cibalonza is not quite ready to depart his wealthy posting.
According to French language articles, Cibalonza had just been granted $76 million for his 2008 budget"Since the governor refuses to bend, the dispute can only be resolved in the courts. But in the time that takes, the insecurity is likely to get worse," said Philippe Buyoya, a political scientist at Lubumbashi and Kinshasa universities.
Cibalonza's spokesman and provincial justice minister Alfred Maisha said the governor had formally called on the Supreme Court of Justice in Kinshasa and the court of appeal in Bukavu, South Kivu's capital, to throw out the no-confidence ruling. He said the assembly had given no notice of the motion's debate nor offered the governor a chance to defend himself.
Au total, 38 milliards de francs congolais (76 millions de dollars) seront adoptés, à la grande joie du Gouverneur de province Célestin Cibalonza
UN should extend peacekeeping mission in DRC for a year
UN News Center, 20 November 2007 – Citing ongoing security challenges in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has recommended extending the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the vast country for one more year, suggesting that a drawdown could commence following the holding of local elections.
In a new report to the Security Council, Mr. Ban paints a mixed picture of progress in the DRC, which has shown signs of good governance and stability but still faces long-standing security challenges in its volatile eastern region.
The Secretary-General recommends renewing MONUC’s mandate for one year with the current level of uniformed personnel – now nearly 18,400 troops and police, in addition to a full complement of civilian staff – at least until the end of local elections expected to be held in the second half of 2008.
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