The Democratic Republic of the Congo: How Far Down is Rock Bottom?

by Michelle . · 2008-10-27 18:39:00 UTC
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Looks like I might need to start a "Daily DRC," in addition to the "Daily Darfur," because as Daily Kos contributer Dave Donelson writes, the DRC "moved a step closer to outright war."

Though if this isn't outright war, I don't know what is. Over 200,000 people have been displaced since violent conflict re-ignited in the Eastern DRC in August, bringing the region's total displacement figure to over 2 million.

For a background to the conflict, I once again refer you to Kate at Wronging Rights, and to my previous post on the connection between the Rwandan genocide and the current crisis in the DRC. (It's my blog, and I'll be self-promoting if I want to.)

Follow the link for the latest.

Fighting continues as government troops try to reclaim the army base at Rumangabo, which rebels loyal to General Laurent Nkunda--who claims to protect Congo's ethnic Tutsi population from the DRC's most unwelcome vistors, the Rwanda's genocidal militias--captured for the second time over the weekend. UN officials asked the rebels to leave, commenting, "Once again we've asked them to leave the premises and return it to the national army." (Perhaps they should've said "please.")

Meanwhile, Nkunda's forces are advancing on Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, forcing more civilians to flee. UN forces also exchanged gun fire with Nkunda's rebels as they advanced near a UN-operated camp for internally displaced persons.

Other reports, unconfirmed by the UN (as far as I can tell), say that UN peacekeepers shot two Congolese protesters as a crowd attacked the UN compound in Goma:

Thousands of people started protesting at the UN office in Goma, the capital of eastern North Kivu province, at midday local time, said Colonel Sengelwa Kyo, the provincial police chief. The demonstrators accused the UN mission, known as Monuc, of doing too little to prevent the take over of a local army base by rebel fighters yesterday.

The military commander of the UN mission to the DRC has had enough--he resigned earlier today. In yet another example of vapid diplomatic chatter, the official statement read that he "has indicated that for personal reasons he will not be able to continue with his assignment as planned." (That may or may not translate to, "Screw you guys, I'm going home.")

Humanitarian crisis, as you can imagine, is of catastrophic proportions, as described by my co-blogger Michael Kleinman.

[Photo from AFP.]

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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