dagblog - Comments for "Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop"

AFP PHOTO/Phil Moore 'I

artappraiser — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:02:11 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

AFP PHOTO/Phil Moore

'I love you very much, that is why we are here' Eye witness
By Phil Moore, Correspondent Behind the News @ AFP, Nov 26, 2012

"M23 has no intention of entering into the city of Goma," Lieutenant-Colonel Vianney Kazarama, the rebels’ spokesman, assured me on November 18.

We were in Kibati, another town in war-torn Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I had crossed the border from Rwanda into government-held territory hours earlier, and then moved north to find the rebel encampment.

Three days later Kazarama was addressing a crowd of thousands in Goma's football stadium. "Goma, bonjour, I am your child, I love you very much, that is why we are here," he told the crowd. [....]

By Tuesday, the city belonged to M23.

This, despite assurances from the United Nations that it would never let Goma fall. In May, I heard the UN's force commander tell the residents of Bunagana, a town on the border with Uganda, that he would not let M23 take the town. By July, I could see that the UN and government forces had been replaced by rebels, and that most of the residents had fled to a refugee camp in Uganda.

After a morning of gun-battles between M23 and the army on Tuesday, the conflict shifted sharply. [....]

The front-lines in Congo are ever-changing. I have seen a lot of displacement in Congo, but never on the scale of the Sake exodus. The road towards Mugunga, a camp for internally displaced persons, was filled by mothers with children, by families with whatever belongings they could snatch as they fled, by boys shepherding their goats. For kilometers they filled the road, weighed down by the necessities of survival without a home.

Tens of thousands of people were on the move. Whilst the displaced had piled up in Mugunga, the bodies had piled up in Sake. Returning there the following day, people fleeing from further south walked past the decomposing corpses of the soldiers who had triggered the exodus. As M23 launch another round of propaganda, and government troops strike fear into local populations, it is hard to see when this cycle of violence and displacement will end. [....]

Congo Slips Into Chaos Again

artappraiser — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 05:57:26 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

Congo Slips Into Chaos Again as Rebels Gain
By Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times, Nov 25, 10:26 PM ET

GOMA —[....] Now, rebel fighters are going house to house arresting people, many of whom have not been seen again by their families.

“You say the littlest thing and they disappear you,” said an unemployed man named Luke. [....]

Riots are exploding across the country — in Bukavu, Butembo, Bunia, Kisangani and Kinshasa, the capital, a thousand miles away. Mobs are pouring into streets, burning down government buildings and demanding the ouster of Congo’s weak and widely despised president, Joseph Kabila.

Once again, chaos is courting Congo. And one pressing question is, why — after all the billions of dollars spent on peacekeepers, the recent legislation passed on Capitol Hill to cut the link between the illicit mineral trade and insurrection, and all the aid money and diplomatic capital — is this vast nation in the heart of Africa descending to where it was more than 10 years ago when foreign armies and marauding rebels carved it into fiefs?

“We haven’t really touched the root cause,” said Aloys Tegera, a director for the Pole Institute, a research institute in Goma.

He said Congo’s chronic instability is rooted in very local tensions over land, power and identity, especially along the Rwandan and Ugandan borders. “But no one wants to touch this because it’s too complicated,” he added.[....]

Note accompanying slideshow: Deep Wounds of Past Produce New Violence in Congo

Gaza grabs the headlines as Congo once more descends into chaos
Conflict in the Middle East is overshadowing the bloody events in central Africa
By Ian Birrell, The Observer, 24 Nov 2012

Once again, the apparently insoluble struggle between Israel and Palestine has flared up before flickering into uneasy standoff. As usual, world leaders issued fierce warnings, diplomats flew in and the media flooded the region to cover the mayhem as both sides spewed out the empty cliches of conflict. After eight days of fighting, nearly 160 people lay dead.

Meanwhile, 2,300 miles further south, events took a sharp turn for the worse in another interminable regional war. This one also involves survivors of genocide ruthlessly focused on securing their future at any cost. But the resulting conflict is far bloodier, far more brutal, far more devastating, far more destructive – yet it gains scarcely a glance from the rest of the world.

Such is the cycle of despair in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [....]

Adrenalin-and-insurgent-junki

artappraiser — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 10:43:17 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

Adrenalin-and-insurgent-junkie reporter Jeffrey Gettleman of the NYT is in Goma now, here's his reports:

Congo Rebels Ignore Appeal to Quit Attack, Nov 24/25

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/world/africa/congo-rebels-ignore-regio...

Army Fails to Halt Rebels’ Offensive in Congo, Nov 23/24

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/world/africa/army-fails-to-halt-rebels...

In New Tack, Congo’s Army Starts to Fight, Nov 22/23

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/world/africa/congo-army-stops-retreat-...

Congo Rebels, After Victory, Vow to Take the Capital, Nov 21/22

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/22/world/africa/congo-rebels-in-goma-vow-...

Rape in Congo is not a myth ?

artappraiser — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 21:07:11 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

Rape in Congo is not a myth – if anything, it is under-reported
By Iain Guest, Op-ed @ guardian.co.uk, 21 November 2012

A report claiming aid agencies exaggerate rape stories for publicity is untrue, unhelpful and out of date

Is rape in war a serious threat to women, or an exaggeration by cash-hungry aid agencies and scaremongering journalists? With M23 rebels in control of the largest town in eastern Congo, you might assume the former. If so, you will be surprised by a provocative new study from a leading thinktank in Canada.

The report is from the Human Security Report Project at Simon Fraser University and it sets out to demolish the "mainstream narrative" on armed sexual violence. Rape, it says, is not an inevitable product of modern wars – even in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (which has been called "rape capital of the world"). Nor is there evidence that rape is used "strategically" as a weapon of war to break the spirit of civilians. By promoting such myths, says the report, aid agencies and reporters distort policy and make it harder to deal with more insidious evils, such as civilian rape.

Although it's clearly intended to shock, this position is not entirely new or unexpected. It fits into a growing body of research that argues that war is becoming progressively less violent. In The Better Angels of Our Nature, Steven Pinker from Harvard argues that the 20th century was not, in fact, the most deadly in history and that even the second world war was a statistical aberration. Joshua Goldstein, another American academic, devotes a whole chapter in his book Winning the War on War to debunking claims that 5 million civilians may have died in the Congo wars.

But in zeroing in on sexual violence, the Human Security report is going to strike a special nerve. It certainly upset me – partly because our organisation supports rape survivors in eastern Congo (through a Congolese partner), and partly because, as a former journalist and UN official, I have seen how publicity can indeed distort humanitarian aid. One need look no further than the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide [.....]

On that Security Council

artappraiser — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:22:55 +0000

In reply to The bloody conflict you

On that Security Council emergency Saturday meeting:

Security Council condemns fresh attacks by M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo

United Nations News Centre, 17 November 2012

The Security Council, meeting in an emergency session on Saturday, strongly condemned the latest attacks by the M23 rebel group, which displaced more civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and prompted the United Nations peacekeeping force there to deploy attack helicopters to support the national army.

Early this morning, the M23 – composed of soldiers who mutinied from the DRC national army (FARDC) in April – launched attacks in Kibumba, Mboga and Ruhondo hills in the province of North Kivu using heavy weapons, according to a news release issued by the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO).

In a statement read out to the press by Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri of India, which holds the Council's presidency for this month, the 15-member body expressed deep concern regarding the “rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian crisis” in eastern DRC to due to ongoing military activities of the M23.

“The members of the Security Council strongly condemn the resumption of attacks by the M23 and demand their immediate cessation,” he stated, following a closed-door session in which members were briefed on the latest developments by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous [....]

Here's their Press Release

SC/10819 | 17 Nov 2012 – Security Council expresses concern regarding rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC; condemns attacks by the M23 armed group and calls for cessation of further advances towards the city of Goma

The bloody conflict you

artappraiser — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:13:27 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

The bloody conflict you didn't read about this week is in Congo, and it threatens to redraw the map of Africa.
By Anjan Sundaram, ForeignPolicy.com, Nov. 20, 2012

KIGALI, Rwanda — One of Congo's biggest eastern cities fell to a powerful rebel force on Tuesday, Nov. 20, in a war that may redefine the region but has produced little political action by the United Nations, the United States, and international powers that heavily support neighboring governments -- notably Rwanda, a Western darling and aid recipient -- that are backing the violence, according to U.N. experts. The fighting has displaced nearly 1 million people since the summer, and the battle for the city of Goma marks the latest episode of a long struggle by Rwandan-backed rebels to take control of a piece of the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- a struggle the rebels are now decisively winning. The fighting has also highlighted the ineptitude of the United Nations mission, one of the world's largest and most expensive, charged with keeping Congo's peace.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Saturday "to request that he use his influence on the M23 [rebels] to help calm the situation and restrain M23 from continuing their attack," as the U.N.'s peacekeeping chief put it. And French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius affirmed that the rebellion in Congo was supported by Rwanda, expressing "grave concern." But the violence has only escalated since. The U.N. Security Council called an emergency session over the weekend, but its condemnation of the violence, demanding that the rebels stop advancing on Goma and insisting that outside powers stop funding the M23 rebels, have all simply been ignored. The Security Council announced it would sanction M23 but did not even mention Rwanda, the main power behind the rebellion. And even as the fighting has intensified, the U.N. mission in Congo has been making public pronouncements about new access to drinking water for people in eastern Congo -- producing a surreal image of the war [....]

Congo-Kinshasa: People in

artappraiser — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:37:35 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

Congo-Kinshasa: People in Eastern DR Congo Forced to Fund the War That Destroys Their Lives
Oxfam International, 20 November 2012

Communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are being preyed on mercilessly by rebel groups and local militias, as well as their own government's troops and officials, in a vicious cycle of exploitation and abuse according to a new report by international agency Oxfam.

According to Oxfam, Congolese civilians are not only suffering violent abuse on a massive scale - including rape, kidnap and murder - but are also being subjected to an unprecedented level of financial exploitation, as belligerents loot and extort illegal taxes in their battle for control.

Evidence gathered recently by Oxfam in a survey of more than 1,300 people in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Province Orientale shows that government soldiers and civilian authorities, including the local police, and armed rebel groups are vying for control over local communities to extort money and goods from them. In some areas such as northern Masisi and southern Lubero, vulnerable communities have become one of the most important sources of income for armed groups.

The crisis in DRC has deteriorated rapidly since April of this year when former CNDP (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple) soldiers defected to form a new group, the M23 (Mouvement 23). Over the past eight months eastern Congo has seen increased activity among armed groups who consistently rape, kill, kidnap, torture and abuse civilians. Many of these groups are taking advantage of power vacuums left as government troops have moved to fight M23 rebels elsewhere. The most insecure areas are those where rebel groups are fighting for control and the number of contested territories has increased significantly in 2012.

"Ruthless militias and government troops are both mercilessly exploiting local communities to help fund their war," said Oxfam's associate country director, Elodie Martel [....]

Congo-Kinshasa: Fall of Goma

artappraiser — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:28:18 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

Congo-Kinshasa: Fall of Goma Puts 200,000 Children At Risk
IRIN, 20 November 2012

Kinshasa/Nairobi — The arrival of M23 rebels in the eastern Congolese city of Goma on 20 November, has triggered widespread concern over the humanitarian ramifications in a region already beset by armed conflict, widespread displacement and attacks on civilians.

Fighting around the city led to the cancellation of a humanitarian assessment mission in North Kivu Province - of which Goma is the capital - scheduled for 19 November.

Rebel spokesman Vianney Kazarama broadcast a message to the city telling residents to carry on with their normal activities, saying M23 was there for their security. He provided his own phone number and that of two intelligence officers for citizens to call if they had any concerns.

Kazarama also called on government soldiers and police to assemble at a stadium on 21 November for an identification process [....]

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned that displaced children now "face an increased risk of rape, abuse and recruitment."

"What we are seeing now is that fighting between the rebel group and the army is displacing the displaced again, stretching the coping abilities of an already exhausted community," Sebastian Albuja, the head of IDMC's Africa department, said in a statement.

"Internally displaced children and specifically boys in North Kivu are at particular risk of being recruited by a variety of armed groups," said Olivia Kalis, Policy and Advocacy Advisor for the NRC country office.

"IDPs are locking up or hiding their children fearing attack and forced recruitment with girls and boys will be taken by armed actors," she said.

Another NGO, World Vision, expressed similar concerns, putting the number of at-risk children in Goma alone at 200,000. [....]

The U.N. trembles now,

artappraiser — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:54:03 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

The U.N. trembles now, too:

Congo Rebels Enter Provincial Capital, Reports Say
By Josh Kron, New York Times, Nov 20/21, 2012

KAMPALA, Uganda — Rebels from the Democratic Republic of Congo were reported to have entered the eastern city of Goma, a provincial capital and one of Congo’s largest cities, on Tuesday, and a senior United Nations official said the insurgents were “well inside.”

A journalist traveling with the insurgents and residents said the rebels had marched down Goma’s main avenue without firing a shot as government forces melted away. Earlier, heavy shelling and gunfire had swirled around the airport and outer neighborhoods of the city before the insurgents, members of what is known as the March 23 Movement, or M23, took over.

The apparent takeover by the group, which has captured villages and beaten back a seemingly broken Congolese Army, could destabilize parts of central and east Africa, analysts said. United Nations peacekeepers have a mandate to use force to protect civilians, but it was unclear how peacekeepers garrisoned at the Goma airport reacted to the rebel advance after a rebel column from the north joined up with insurgents surrounding the city. “The M23 is well inside Goma,” said the senior United Nations military official in Goma, speaking in exchange for anonymity because the situation was so fluid.

It was not immediately clear whether any of the peacekeepers tried to use force to hold off the rebel troops. The United Nations mission in Congo is the largest and most expensive of its kind in the world [....]

The United Nations expressed bewilderment and frustration at the rebel attack.

“They were able to bypass all of the positions we had,” said Hiroute Guebre-Selassie, who leads the United Nations peacekeeping office in North Kivu Province, where Goma is situated. “We are not facing a conventional force.”[....]

Congo Forces and Rebels

artappraiser — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:19:26 +0000

In reply to Goma trembles before Congo rebel advance UN seems powerless to stop

Congo Forces and Rebels Resume Fight for Goma
By Josh Kron, New York Times, Nov 19, 2012

KAMPALA, Uganda — Heavy shelling and gunfire on Monday broke a tense standoff between Congolese rebels on the outskirts of the eastern Congolese city of Goma and government soldiers backed by United Nations troops who were hunkered down inside, as fears also rose of a direct military confrontation between the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighbor Rwanda.

The Congolese government rejected an ultimatum made by rebels Sunday night to withdraw from Goma and accused Rwanda, which a United Nations panel has said has links to the March 23 rebels, of sending two battalions of troops over the border into Congo to fight on their behalf and firing a rocket that injured five civilians in Goma.

Rwanda has called the accusations “absolutely false and diversionary” and said it was “exercising restraint as of now,” according to a military spokesman [....]

New fighting in eastern DR Congo adds to already dire humanitarian situation – UN
UN News Centre, 19 Nov 2012

Fresh clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between fighters with the rebel 23 March Movement (M23) and the national army have forced thousands of displaced men, women and children to flee again, adding to what United Nations agencies say is an already dire humanitarian situation in which over 2.4 million people are internally displaced due to conflict.

An estimated 60,000 people have been displaced as the M23 – composed of soldiers who mutinied from the national army in April – launched new attacks in recent days in North Kivu province. The rebels are said to be advancing towards the provincial capital of Goma, despite the efforts of the DRC armed forces, known by the French acronym FARDC, and peacekeepers serving with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO).

“This new escalation in fighting in and around Goma, and elsewhere in the Kivus, adds to what are already monumental humanitarian needs in the DRC,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in an update today.

The latest attacks by the M23 have been condemned by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, with both calling for their immediate cessation. [....]