The International Community - Here's

The International Community - Here's how the Europeans handle international crises.

Here's the money graf:

What the Congolese people need is to see an end to the killing and to reclaim their towns from machete- and Kalashnikov-wielding militias. But the Guardian reported that based on a French military briefing paper it obtained, the new force "will have a negligible impact on tribal conflict." According to the document, "France has no specific interest in the area except solidarity with the international community." (When talk of a European force for DR-Congo arose, some observers said French-British cooperation on the effort could help patch up rifts over the Iraq war.)

One does not ask men to go risk their lives in order to "patch rifts". Militarily, this is already a joke.

The military briefing paper notes that the force's exit is "firmly established" at Sept. 1, 2003. The Guardian quoted a European military source who has seen the document observing: "This is the most cynical military briefing I've read in my entire life. Everybody is just laughing at it." According to the Guardian, a forthcoming report by the International Crisis Group says, "This intervention, on the face of it, is totally insufficient to meet the needs of Ituri's pacification." (Le Monde reported that the United Nations and the European Union are meeting this week with Congolese President Joseph Kabila and faction leaders to help bring an end to hostilities and attempt to form a transitional government.)

Again.

L'Eveil of DR-Congo gave a more bleak assessment of the U.N. intervention in the country. After the international force's three months is up, the paper said, militias will resume their killing rampages. "To intervene in Bunia for three months, without disarming the Hema and Lendu militias, is a useless effort that will lead to no result." The paper said the United Nations—rather than send a supplementary force—should have equipped and authorized the existing U.N. force for decisive action on the ground. Referring to the U.N. peacekeeping force long stationed in Congo, the paper said the impression thus far is that foreign troops have come for tourism—"to loot the country's resources, to dance and drink champagne, to sleep with our daughters" then to leave when their time is up. "The Congolese people don't need that."

Well, by all means, we should have let them handle Iraq as well!

UPDATE: See if you can find any mention of these problems in this boilerplate Guardian piece.

Posted by Mitch at June 15, 2003 02:11 AM