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

[Stan]

You know Tom, when we would constantly check those tail numbers at N'djili, I had some real doubts that the folks at Clarendon were listening. Who, afterall would believe that 11 or 12 Electras were flying round the clock with a manifest of eggs and milk, returning with (ahem) nothing

I actually still have those doubts, but no longer care

Back in our days, had you reported this general, I'd have ended up with (what was her name) 'Becka' (a new DATT) much sooner.

On a serious note, those camps in Goma were not sitting around waiting for UN food donations, and I recall extremely young children already handling firearms.

The heart of darkness she was and still is !

Regards, Stan

[Tom Odom]

You know Tom, when we would constantly check those tail numbers at N'djili, I had some real doubts that the folks at Clarendon were listening. Who, afterall would believe that 11 or 12 Electras were flying round the clock with a manifest of eggs and milk, returning with (ahem) nothing

I actually still have those doubts, but no longer care

Back in our days, had you reported this general, I'd have ended up with (what was her name) 'Becka' (a new DATT) much sooner.

On a serious note, those camps in Goma were not sitting around waiting for UN food donations, and I recall extremely young children already handling firearms.

The heart of darkness she was and still is !

Regards, Stan

Stan,

I did hear later that we actually had an effect on the Angolan airlift when our stuff was compared with some other reports. But remember Op Blessing at Goma and those brand new (newly refurbished) aircraft? The 700 Club and Op Blessing actually ended up getting fined over that one by the state of Virginia for using a humanitarian organization as a front to smuggle gold and diamonds. Fiery Kate got on their track as well after we left and while I was in Rwanda--because they were hiring former SEALs as bodyguards, etc. One of them told her what they were doing in their "humanitarian" work.

I guess what gets me about the 5 year old general is that you could not make this stuff up. I know we saw youngsters with plenty of blood on their hands but a 5 year old? and a general?

Best

Tom

[Stan]

Stan,

I did hear later that we actually had an effect on the Angolan airlift when our stuff was compared with some other reports. But remember Op Blessing at Goma and those brand new (newly refurbished) aircraft? The 700 Club and Op Blessing actually ended up getting fined over that one by the state of Virginia for using a humanitarian organization as a front to smuggle gold and diamonds. Fiery Kate got on their track as well after we left and while I was in Rwanda--because they were hiring former SEALs as bodyguards, etc. One of them told her what they were doing in their "humanitarian" work.

I guess what gets me about the 5 year old general is that you could not make this stuff up. I know we saw youngsters with plenty of blood on their hands but a 5 year old? and a general?

Best

Tom

Glad to see we did end up with credit for those Angola reports.

RE 700 Club and Op Blessing - I dunno why it was so hard to believe, we'd seen far worse leading to death with the French. What's a little gold and few diamonds amongst friends

My 'retired' buds along the 'beltway bandit clubs' have stories that I could never repeat herein.

Yeah, 5 is a bit young for a flag. He could've been a good sergeant though (under my command)

[davidbfpo]

A C4 documentary in the excellent series Un-Reported World, with Aidan Hartley as reporter and alas only two days left on the web left. Link to summary and the programme itself:http://www.channel4.com/programmes/u...2011/episode-2

I have adjusted the thread's title; I had thought there was a thread on the subject already.

[carl]

David:

That was quite interesting. I thought most child soldiers were abducted. According to this production many of them are displaced from their families for one reason or another. If they were in Kinshasa they would have become shegues, streets kids. There are tens of thousands of shegues in Kin. They often group up in small numbers and make their way somehow. In Kin they become shegues, in the east they go into the bush with the Mai Mai or whoever. Interesting.

[M-A Lagrange]

In 2004, in Ituri, some child soldiers explained to me that they were "recruted". May-May, UPC and Bemba soldiers would come to see them in the bush after an attack did occure in a close by village. The officers would tell them that there parents were dead or that the village would be attack soon and they could protect them.
On this, I advise to follow the Lubanga and Katanga trials at ICP.