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East/Subsaharan Africa
French-Led UN Force for Bunia Seeks to Use Ugandan Airport
2003-06-02
EFL
A delegation of French officials was due to arrive in Uganda on Monday for discussions with President Yoweri Museveni over the possible use of Uganda's Entebbe airport as a rear base for a French-led international peacekeeping force to patrol Bunia, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). "The first question we had to ask is will the Ugandan government accept to allow us to use Entebbe?" Jean-Bernard Thiant, the French Ambassador to Uganda, told IRIN on Sunday. "To this the answer is yes."
"It'll cost you a few Euros, but it can be done..."
The move follows the unanimous decision by the UN Security Council to authorise the deployment of an international emergency force to help stabilise the situation in the embattled Ituri District of northeastern DRC. The multinational force, expected to consist of 1,400 men, of whom 700 would be French, would ensure the protection of the Bunia airport, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the camps in Bunia and, if the situation requires it, to participate in the protection of the population, UN personnel and the humanitarian presence in the town, UN News reported.
"if the situation requires it", understatement of the year.
Thiant told IRIN that Entebbe was chosen because Bunia airport was too small to land the large aircraft needed to ferry supplies from France. "That leaves Kisangani as far as Congolese sites are concerned," he said, "but this has the problem that Kisangani's international and domestic airports are miles apart. Equipment would have to be transported between them on poor roads."
Under fire
"After studying various solutions we realised that Entebbe is the only solution," he said. "Since then we have been cooperating closely with the Ugandan government. But we still have to negotiate the conditions."
Bribes R'Us
The French-led multinational force has been constituted under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which authorises it to use military force in response to "any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression".
They're doomed
The Council said that the force is to be deployed on a strictly temporary basis - until 1 September 2003 - to reinforce the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUC. In that regard, Resolution 1484 authorised UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to deploy a reinforced UN presence in Bunia by mid-August.
For the UN, that's a rapid deployment
Resolution 1484 also called on UN member states to contribute personnel, equipment, financial and logistical resources to the multinational force, and called specifically on countries in the Great Lakes region to provide all necessary support to facilitate its swift deployment in Bunia. Speaking on Friday after the international emergency force was approved, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said: "This is the Security Council at its best, and a demonstration that the Secretary-General and the Security Council can act swiftly, hand-in-hand, to protect the lives of the civilian population in conflict areas, a paramount human rights and humanitarian concern."
Doomed, I tell you!
Yeppers. Quicker'n the mind can follow...
However, certain humanitarian observers expressed reservations about Security Council Resolution 1484, as it does not make any reference to the disarmament of militia elements or a demilitarisation of the region.
"Just a little administrative oversight there. Nothing to worry about..."
"It should be noted that an interim force which is not equipped with a clear mandate to prevent violence against the civilian population by means of force will most likely only be able to maintain the current status quo in Bunia and Ituri, thus implying an unimpeded UPC [Union des patriotes congolais, the ethnic Hema militia that controls central Bunia] reign of terror in Bunia and areas under their control," a humanitarian observer told IRIN. "The interim force as well as MONUC and the IPC [Ituri Pacification Commission] initiating and supporting entities will have no impact whatsoever on activities of all warring factions in areas other than Bunia," the observer said. "Thus insecurity will prevail and access to beneficiaries outside Bunia will most likely not be able to be extended beyond the present limitations."
Doomed!
"Y'know, these pygmies aren't bad with a little mustard..."
Posted by:Steve

#7  "countries in the Great Lakes region"?
Is he talking the U.S. and Canada?
Posted by: Raptor   2003-06-03 07:09:01  

#6  Maybe they can use Le Bourget. That'll make them just about as effective. Who's giving them their ride BTW? Could it be the USAF????
Posted by: tu3031   2003-06-02 22:14:49  

#5  during the Rwanda crisis the Ugandans and French were on opposite sides - French supported the Hutu "genocidaires" and Uganda supported Tutsi exiles (who had become anglophone in Ugandan exile) While Uganda has since broken with Rwandan Tutsis over DRC there is still little love lost between Uganda and France - note Uganda was one of the few african countries in the "coalition of the willing" (along with Rwanda and Ethiopia)
Posted by: liberalhawk   2003-06-02 15:23:01  

#4  If you think they're good with mustard, wait till the French army gets there with their regimential saucier.
Posted by: Sgt.DT   2003-06-02 15:16:13  

#3  They could loot it from the cafeteria pretty fast, though.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2003-06-02 14:12:26  

#2  The U.N. couldn't order it's own lunch in 2 weeks.
Posted by: Mike N.   2003-06-02 13:23:17  

#1  The UN resolution says they're going to be there by mid-August, and there temporarily until 1 September? 2 whole weeks of protection? I am.....not surprised, actually.
Isn't Entebbe the IDF's favorite African airport? ;)
Posted by: Baba Yaga   2003-06-02 12:38:30  

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