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

[Tom Odom]

Great pic, Stan. I wish I had a pic of the M113 chicken coop that the Ghanians in UNAMIR2 had at a roadblock.

Sometimes--not always and never when it comes to sunglasses, gold chains, and taped magazines--appearances are decieviing. The scraggiest battalion in UNAMIR 2 was the Ethiopian battalion they came with small arms (AKs) a couple of magazines and not much else. They lived rough, ate rough, solicited local woman for labor and entertainment--which they paid for. And they had the most stable sector in the mission even though it was at least number 2 in threat.

They came with a national ROE which equated to "don't ask for permission and don't ask for more support, either.' That meant when some ex-FAR or Interahamwe scum bag crossed into their sector, they shot 'em. When their was cross border fire, they returned better than they took.

They at first drove the Force Commander MG Tousignant to distraction until he saw that they were getting the job done. Their base camp looked more like an African version of a Mexican bandit camp. They did not clean up well for parades.

The RPA loved them. The Ethiopians had all been rebels too.

Best

Tom

[Stan]

Great pic, Stan. I wish I had a pic of the M113 chicken coop that the Ghanians in UNAMIR2 had at a roadblock.

Sometimes--not always and never when it comes to sunglasses, gold chains, and taped magazines--appearances are decieviing. The scraggiest battalion in UNAMIR 2 was the Ethiopian battalion they came with small arms (AKs) a couple of magazines and not much else. They lived rough, ate rough, solicited local woman for labor and entertainment--which they paid for. And they had the most stable sector in the mission even though it was at least number 2 in threat.

They came with a national ROE which equated to "don't ask for permission and don't ask for more support, either.' That meant when some ex-FAR or Interahamwe scum bag crossed into their sector, they shot 'em. When their was cross border fire, they returned better than they took.

They at first drove the Force Commander MG Tousignant to distraction until he saw that they were getting the job done. Their base camp looked more like an African version of a Mexican bandit camp. They did not clean up well for parades.

The RPA loved them. The Ethiopians had all been rebels too.

Best

Tom

Hope to dig up that pic for you, Tom. There's indeed plenty of praise for Ghana's peacekeeping missions in Africa.

The examples are not hard to find. When the going was tough in Rwanda in 1994, the Ghanaian contingent, under Brig. Henry Anyidoho, offered the much-needed protection to the people at their peril and within the dire constraints at the time. Annan, speaking in Accra recently during a photo exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of Ghana's peacekeeping, confirms the heroism of Ghanaian peacekeepers who, he said, have distinguished themselves by their courage and professionalism.

Much more at the link...

[Tom Odom]

Hope to dig up that pic for you, Tom. There's indeed plenty of praise for Ghana's peacekeeping missions in Africa.



Much more at the link...

Henry was indeed one of the good guys. We started off fairly cool but the relationship warmed up when he understood I was not playing games. I know Dallaire thought a lot of him as he did of the Ghanians in general.

but the Ghanians always looked sharp--even with their 113 chicken coop. And they were very much wedded to a formal chain of command. The Ethiopians were more like Oddball's tankers in Kelly's Heroes. They always looked ragged but they got the job done.

Best

Tom