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| Africa Subsaharan |
| U.N. to Launch Drone Mission in DR Congo |
| 2013-12-03 |
| [An Nahar] The United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... will start using surveillance drones for the first time in Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... on Tuesday in a landmark intelligence-gathering advance for the world body, officials said. The drones will be used to monitor the volatile border between DR Congo and Rwanda and movements by militias and gangs in the east of the country, which has been stricken by conflict for the past three decades. The United Nations has a huge peacekeeping mission in DR Congo, and other missions are eagerly watching the first machines in the hope that their use will be extended. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous is in Goma, the major city in eastern DR Congo, to "preside over the launch of unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles," U.N. front man Martin Nesirky told news hounds. The drones would be "an important tool to assist the mission in fulfilling its mandate to protect civilians," Nesirky added. The mission will start with two of the drones, built by Italian firm Selex ES, a subsidiary of the Italian giant Finmeccanica, U.N. officials said. Up to five could be in operation after trials are completed, they added. General Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz, military commander of the U.N. mission, MONUSCO, said last month that by March or April there would be a 24 hour drone surveillance operation in eastern DR Congo. |
| Posted by:Fred |