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East/Subsaharan Africa
UN sends troops to stop Congo massacres
2003-05-31
EFL to just the new stuff.
French combat troops are expected to fly into Congo's Ituri province next week with a UN mandate to secure the airport at Bunia and protect civilians from further massacres.
"Here, you people! Stop that!"
The UN security council authorised the French-led mission yesterday after several other countries agreed to take part following days of consultations in New York. Britain will not send combat troops, because it has so many forces deployed in Iraq and elsewhere, but it is likely to send a few dozen staff officers, either for clearing mines and digging wells, or for upgrading Bunia's airport, according to Whitehall officials. France will provide about half the 1,200-strong force. It refused to take on the mission alone after its actions in Rwanda in the mid-1990s, when it was correctly accused of aiding the genocide of hundreds of thousands of Tutsi civilians.
Perhaps the Brit officers are the watchers?
Britain's contribution, although small, is considered important by UN officials as a way of pressing Uganda and Rwanda to support the mission. Yesterday's UN resolution called on all neighbouring states to cease arming the rival militias. The UN has 3,000 troops in other parts of Congo, a force too small to police the country. The troops for Bunia, authorised yesterday, will replace 700 Uruguayan observers, but are only a stopgap. Known as the interim emergency multinational force, their mandate lasts until the end of August when about 1,500 Bangladeshi troops are due to arrive.
Everyone's thinking too small here.
"It's not enough but it's a good start," was the verdict of Steve Crawshaw, the London director of Human Rights Watch, which, with Amnesty International last week, issued a strongly worded letter calling on governments to protect civilians.
When are HRW and Amnesia International sending troops?
Amnesty welcomed the move. Patrick Smith, the editor of Africa Confidential, said the mission did not have a plan for demilitarising the area - which would involve providing cash, retraining and jobs: "It could also just be a band-aid operation or even be drawn into the hands of those who want to upset the peace agreement. There are reports that troops of the Kabila government in Kinshasa hope to ... take Bunia."
Demilitarizing the area could also include killing everybody waving a gun or a machete. But that would be the effective barbarous approach, wouldn't it? Forget I said it...
The poor state of Bunia's airport, meanwhile, will entail the mission taking days if not weeks to amass. The short runway has a thin layer of tar, which has to be relaid over the soil after almost every landing. Only a few flights can be made each day.
Our army engineers could fix this pretty quick. Wonder if the Frenchies are taking engineers with them?
Like Britain, other EU countries are reluctant to send combat troops. Belgium is expected to send an army medical team.
Imagine the panic in Congo if the Belgians offered to send combat troops.
Germany will give logistical support. South Africa, the main regional power with a professional army, has agreed to provide some combat units but is asking for financial and other help to airlift them into Bunia.
Cha-ching.
Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Denmark and Sweden have also offered to help. Britain agreed to join the mission under French leadership, at least with a small contingent, because the government wants to stiffen the spines of the French patch up its relations with Paris.
Ride off on a joint unsuccessful mission. Yeah, that'll fix things up.
Posted by:Steve White

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