UN in DRC struggling to keep the peace

When news filtered through that the Spanish General commanding UN troops in Democratic Republic of Congo had resigned, many leaders in the region appeared unfazed. The UN spokeswoman Michele Montas announced last week that Lieutenant General Vicente Diaz de Villegas Herreria of Spain, who was recently appointed Force Commander for the UN mission in DRC known as Monuc “has indicated that for personal reasons he will not be able to continue with his assignment as planned.” The resignation announcement came after forces of General Laurent Nkunda captured strategic towns from government forces. Nkunda is closing in on the eastern city of Goma, where UN forces have their principal base. Montas said UN chief Ban Ki-moon was “extremely concerned by the further deterioration in the security situation in North Kivu, and in particular developments in Rumangabo and in Goma and its impact on civilians.” As many as 20,000 civilians have reportedly fled fresh fighting between Nkunda and government troops. Men, women and children were streaming out of the Kibumba area 35 kilometres from Goma. The UN has its biggest peace keeping force anywhere in the world in DRC but many are asking what they are doing to avert this crisis. There are accusations that instead of helping Congolese, the peacekeepers mine gold and rape women. Others accuse Monuc of folding its arms and staying aloof amid raging war. History repeating itself? The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), sent to Rwanda in 1993 by the United Nations to aid the implementation of the Arusha Accords failed miserably. As they sat back and watched one million Tutsi being butchered. Former members of the rebel Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) are operating openly in Congo under the nose of Monuc. They even reveled that Monuc had been selling back to them weapons that had been seized by the UN body during the disarmament process. Can we blame the Monuc commander for resigning? Ends