DR Congo: Examining the shadows on the other side of mourning.

A UN Press release:  

Meeting Mission Mandate for Democratic Republic of Congo Hinges on ‘Persistent Engagement’ with Government, Top Official Tells Security Council

The fulfillment of the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) rested on “persistent engagement” with the Government on the security situation in the East, the electoral process and the ongoing strategic dialogue, the Security Council heard today during its periodic briefing on the subject.

Astounding. MONUSCO has been on the ground in the DR Congo from 1999 and today they have reached the conclusion that they need to talk with the Government of the DR Congo with regard to the security situation in the East.  

On the security situation, there was “a ray of hope on one of the front lines”, Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the Mission said, describing ongoing military cordon and search operations conducted by the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) supported by MONUSCO forces against the Force de résistance patriotique en Ituri (FPRI).  While the priority was to ensure that the group disarmed voluntarily, the use of force proved inevitable after the lapse of three consecutive deadlines.

Kill the bastards. They kill civilians, you are a military force mandated by the world to stop civilians being killed. Do your fucking job or piss off. And that is it in a nut shell. MONUSCO are about as effective as the most ineffective thing you can imagine. 

However, Mr. Kobler said, joint operations against the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) in North Kivu, South Kivu and Katanda had been at a standstill for five months.  While the Congolese Government had made great strides in the past decade in restoring security, the population in East lived at the mercy of a number of armed groups.  The suspension of joint cooperation by the FARDC went beyond the original question over human rights, as the Mission revised its Due Diligence Policy in that regard and was looking for ways to resume cooperation within the framework of the commitments from both sides.

Kill the FDLR pricks. They are genocidal wankers who killed  about a million Tutsi in Rwanda. Just fucking kill them. They have had two fucking years to surrender and they have not. They keep promising to surrender but don't. Kill them.... they don't hesitate to kill innocent civilians....fuck them and fuck the horse they rode into the DR Congo from Rwanda. We have tried to reason with them it is now time to stop them. 

Despite the progress in dislodging the FDLR from some of its strongholds, the FARDC was finding it difficult to consolidate its hold in liberated areas, he said, adding that paralysis had cascaded into other fields of operation.  “Waiting is not an option,” he said.

Sack FARDC commanders who can't  or won't ( Corruption ) do their jobs. Actually I would say it is not FARDC inability but FARDC corruption. Solve it. Shoot the corrupt bastards. 6 million people have died in the Congo in my life time, judicially killing a few hundred corrupt Congolese officers is not  a big problem.

The country would hold presidential and legislative elections in November 2016, which under the imperatives of resolution 2211 (2015) must be transparent, credible and respectful of the Constitution and the electoral calendar.  The responsibility for such elections, however, ultimately rested with the Government and a number of actions were required.  Urgent needs included a budget and a realistic electoral calendar.  The voters’ registry needed to be updated and political space must be given to the opposition and civil society.  Welcoming President Joseph Kabila’s initiative to reach out to a wide range of stakeholders to ensure consensus, he said such consultations should not delay the elections.

Hold Kabila to that.

The strategic dialogue between MONUSCO and the Government began in March, with a view to setting in motion a gradual, mutually agreeable exit strategy and reinvigorating sincere collaboration on security, elections, human rights and communications.  In May, joint missions were conducted in 29 territories across 4 conflict-affected territories to obtain first-hand understanding of the security situation prevailing in the east.  The findings were now being discussed with the Government and were serving as a basis to jointly draw conclusions on how and when MONUSCO would eventually leave.  The timeline for departure should depend on the progress on the ground.

You are fucking joking ? The UN  ( the world ) has invested billions in the DR Congo and the job isn't half done. Exit stratagem ? When we have done the job, we owe the Congolese people that.

While there had been progress in the fight against sexual violence in the country, violence against women and girls remained endemic.  “We must ensure that the women’s bodies are not used as battlegrounds in never-ending wars,” he said, stressing the need to ensure victims had access to justice.  The fight against armed groups in the country could not be successful unless the questions of economic development and employment were addressed.

Stop raping women. It is often, actually usually soldiers who are the rapists. Apply the Geneva conventions. They fucking are gaoled or shot I don't care which.

Briefing the Council on her recent visit to the region, Dina Kawar, representative of Jordan and Chair of the 1533 Democratic Republic of the Congo Sanctions Committee, highlighted the paradox between the country’s extensive natural resources and its difficult path towards governance.  On a number of occasions, she was reminded of the Government’s assertions of neighbouring States’ complicity in smuggling networks.  The Minister for the Interior had voiced the readiness of his Government to work with the Group of Experts to provide suggested names for designations.  When the Group had held a follow-up meeting, however, no such names were provided.

Yes well that would be Rwanda and Uganda.