War breaks out (again) in the DR Congo

[Che Guava]

Ugh, you think everyone involved here would be sick of fighting by now,...

'State of war' in eastern Congo


A dissident Congolese army officer says there is a state of war between the government and his forces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Speaking to the BBC, General Laurent Nkunda, a Congolese Tutsi, accused the government of forming an alliance with Hutus to attack his troops.

Heavy fighting is reported in the Kivu region, with the Congolese army moving troops into the area.

The UN refugee agency says tens of thousands have fled from their homes.

The UNHCR says people are afraid of being caught between government forces, former Rwandan rebels and troops of General Nkunda.

Uneasy standoff

General Nkunda told the BBC his forces had handed over Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels to the UN peacekeeping mission, known as Monuc.

"For me it's a state of war... we have prisoners of war from the FDLR who were attacking with the government troops," he said.

He said he could not support a government that was working with Hutus and would not accept an order to disarm his forces.

The BBC's Africa analyst, Martin Plaut, says that the government and the general are now well armed and supplied and an uneasy standoff is currently in place.

DR Congo Defence Minister Tshikez Djemu said that if soldiers allied to General Nkunda refused to lay down their arms, they would be considered bandits and be dealt with accordingly by the army.

Tension is nothing new to North Kivu but it has suddenly increased after the government's decision to dismantle what are known as the mixed brigades, our correspondent says.

These brigades, created earlier this year, were made up of government soldiers and more than 7,000 former rebels.

They joined the brigades on condition that they would remain deployed as a group to protect their own community, the Tutsis, against Rwandan Hutu rebels, some of whom took part in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis.

But since the beginning of this year, military operations launched by the mixed brigades against the Hutu rebels have created more instability and the UN says more than 170,000 civilians have been displaced.

link

Let's hope that this one doesn't last...

 

[JohnRM]

You mean, war breaks out (again, again, again, -- infinity --)

 

[Virote_Considon]

I saw the title of this thread and said to myself "really?", and was about to move straight on, when I realized that it must have been a couple of months since the last one!

 

[Che Guava]

I really had high hopes after the last election. Guess its tough being an african optimist!

 

[skadistic]

I didn't know the last one ended. Seriously.

 

[Winner]

This is what happens when people who're not ready for independence get it.

 

[luiz]

Africa is so sad I don't even like to debate it.

 

[Che Guava]

This is what happens when people who're not ready for independence get it.

I think that the vast majorit of citizens and institutions in DRC are ready for independence, but ethnic mistrust goes pretty deep, and its certainly no help that countries to the east (Uganda, Rwanda) seem intent on fanning the flames.

My optimistic view is that this rebellion will peter out soon enough, and Congolese can focus more on thier commonalities, instead of thier differences.

 

[Winner]

I think that the vast majorit of citizens and institutions in DRC are ready for independence, but ethnic mistrust goes pretty deep, and its certainly no help that countries to the east (Uganda, Rwanda) seem intent on fanning the flames.

The whole country has been going downhill since it got it's independence from Belgium. Only one conclusion seems logical - they can't be their own masters.

My optimistic view is that this rebellion will peter out soon enough, and Congolese can focus more on thier commonalities, instead of thier differences.

No. After this rebellion is quelled, another one will begin. Unless someone sends few tens of thousands of Western troops who will keep them from killing themselves, nothing will ever change. But that would mean re-colonization, so it won't happen and we're back where we started.

 

[Ansar]

They just love to fight, don't they?

 

[Che Guava]

The whole country has been going downhill since it got it's independence from Belgium. Only one conclusion seems logical - they can't be their own masters.

I guess that's one way to look at it. Things were a lot quieter under the Belgians, and great advances were made in infrastructure and medicine, but I don't think there are too many (black) congolese who look back fondly on that time either.

No. After this rebellion is quelled, another one will begin. Unless someone sends few tens of thousands of Western troops who will keep them from killing themselves, nothing will ever change. But that would mean re-colonization, so it won't happen and we're back where we started.

Why western troops exactly? If african nations are going to start to stand up and look after themselves, the AU should be the one brokering and keeping peace deals.

 

[North King]

The whole country has been going downhill since it got it's independence from Belgium. Only one conclusion seems logical - they can't be their own masters.

That's an illogical conclusion, actually, blaming the colonized for the state of the colony. One would probably have more success blaming the colonizer. Anyway, I think if you bundle a few hundred ethnic groups together in a third world country, you're not going to get a good result any which way.

 

[sourboy]

Terrible... when will they learn.

Side note:

Anyone else wonder why they don't just split the country? I mean African countries are very large. Just draw a line and let each do their own thing. IF one succeeds, the other will likely rejoin - and if they don't, at least 50% of that land is peaceful. If they both succeed, fine, two happy nations. Maybe it's a dumb idea, but it's certainly a better option than an endless war.

 

[Virote_Considon]

That's an illogical conclusion, actually, blaming the colonized for the state of the colony. One would probably have more success blaming the colonizer. Anyway, I think if you bundle a few hundred ethnic groups together in a third world country, you're not going to get a good result any which way.

Why? Many ex-colonies have turned out better than alright! It should be the corrupt, kleptomaniac leaders of the majority of the ex-African colonies that should be to blame, and also the individual tribes for stemming the violence.

 

[North King]

Why? Many ex-colonies have turned out better than alright! It should be the corrupt, kleptomaniac leaders of the majority of the ex-African colonies that should be to blame, and also the individual tribes for stemming the violence.

Most ex-colonies don't have quite the same situation as DRC do, though I know what you're saying. The DRC has the peculiar case of almost no modern technology, years of some of the most brutal exploitation by colonizers in recorded history, hundreds of feuding ethnic groups, and highly dense rainforest covering enough of the terrain to make communication difficult. It's essentially a disaster waiting to happen.

None of the colonies who were successful had that particular combination.

 

[Ansar]

Anyway, I think if you bundle a few hundred ethnic groups together in a third world country, you're not going to get a good result any which way.

There are WAY too many ethnic groups.

 

[Merkinball]

This is what happens when people who're not ready for independence get it. - Winner

No, this is what happens when you conquer, divide, and then completely abandon your colonies. France may have left their colonies in complete economic ruin, but Belguim was easily the most notorious, apathetic country when it came to dividing, conquering, and abandoning.

I know you don't like this idea Winner, because to you, Europe is absolutely infallible, but a good portion of the bloodshed that has taken place in the Congo, Ugana, and Rwanda in particular is on EUROPE'S hands.

 

[ArneHD]

There are WAY too many ethnic groups.

There are many in India too. It's not the groups themselves that matter it is the distrust between them.

 

[Ansar]

There are many in India too. It's not the groups themselves that matter it is the distrust between them.

Correct.

I don't understand why the African tribes can't work with each other.

 

[ArneHD]

Correct.

I don't understand why the African tribes can't work with each other.

"Slaves make awful masters." Frank Herbert