Eye on Africa

*** Photo Mvemba Phezo Dizolele — Uruguayan Peacekeepers, Kasenyi, Ituri

The United Nations, or should I say UN peacekeepers, are in the news again. Check the headlines. You have got to love these guys — not. As a kid growing up in Zaire, I dreamed of working for the UN — but no more. The sad thing is that these peacekeepers make the headlines for the same old abuses, sexual misconduct, gold and gun smuggling.

Still, when it happens UN officials tend to act as if they were seeing these things for the first time. Never mind they have dealt with these types of abuses in different parts of the world. The real problem here lies with the civilian leadership, which always places politics above the underlying principles encapsulated in the UN charter.

In fairness to the peacekeepers, I reckon that most of them are professionals and dedicated to their assignment. I speak from experience. Last year I was embedded with peacekeepers in the conflict areas of Ituri and South Kivu. The Moroccan, Uruguayan and Pakistani troops I worked with discharged their duty with a high level of professionalism and commitment. In short, I was impressed with them. Then again, there is always a bad apple in the bag.

At three o’clock in the afternoon I meet the Moroccan convoy at the security check point in front of the UN headquarters. A dozen white Humvees with wide black marks on the side doors and the front hood: UN.

Ali Bouchikhi, a young major I had met earlier in the day, motioned me to join him in the command vehicle. “Bienvenu à bord,” he says, shaking my hand.

The Forces Armées Royales have a long history in Congo. They first got involved in 1960 with ONUC, the UN mission that intervened during the civil war following

Their experience shows. They know Congo’s history. The two countries have maintained close relationship through the years as the late King Hassan II and President Mobutu were good friends. Congolese military officers attended Moroccan academies and the two peoples also enjoyed relative closeness through sports. 

Bunia, City of Hope — June 15, 2006

As is often the case with “infamous” places, I had formed my own perverted image of Bunia before I even set foot there. It was a dangerous place, where Hemas and Lendus killed each other genocide style. A city and district with alarming statistics attached to its history.

Between 1999 and 2003, more than 60,000 people were killed and others maimed or severely mutilated. Another half a million people were internally displaced. Ituri also exposed the weaknesses of the UN peacekeeping mission’s mandate. The killings took place while UN troops were headquartered in town. Their limited mandate, small number and inadequate equipment did not allow them to save the civilians.

That situation changed in the summer of 2003 when the European Union deployed a multinational force coded named Artemis to secure the city. As a result, many of the displaced returned to Bunia and normal life slowly resumed.

Yesterday, I got clearance to join a United Nations patrol — I am excited. Since my arrival in Bunia, I have wanted to see action. Hear gunfire and see a fight.

UN troops have been fighting alongside the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) against militiamen farther north from here. Several weeks ago, the militiamen captured eight Nepalese peacekeepers and have been asking a ransom for their release. The UN issued its standard line, “We demand the unconditional release of the peacekeepers.”

The most prominent militia is the Mouvement pour la Révolution du Congo (MRC), a relatively new group (perhaps a year old) supported by Uganda. Most interestingly, the MRC is a collection of several militias that had been previously disarmed.

The UN ran a disarmament and demobilization program, which aimed to help thousands of militiamen return to normal civilian life. They turned in their weapons, received US$110 at the outset and a monthly payment of US$25 for 12 months. Not bad. But, even by Congolese standards, $25 does not buy much. In addition, CONADER, the Congolese agency in charge of the program is plagued with corruption.

On the Way to Ituri — June 14, 2006

When I was a child, I often looked at the map of Zaire and marveled at the size of the country. My gaze would travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. I wondered why Burundi and Rwanda were not part of Zaire. In those days, geography teachers still used colonial maps that bundled le Congo Belge et le Rwanda-Urundi.

Congo is big, the size of Western Europe or the United States east of the Mississippi River. Four times the size of France. The one difference is that Congo lacks an adequate road infrastructure. Most of its airports are in bad shape and the famous railroad Henry Morton Stanley envisioned needs millions of dollars for rehabilitation. “Without a railroad, Congo is not worth a penny,” Stanley said.

Today several airline operators strive to bridge the gap between various cities and towns. But, as is the case with other sectors of the economy, corruption and ineffective leadership paralyze civil aviation. Most of these operators do not meet international civil aviation standards.