Voters Go To The Polls In Congo

Reuters: Delays blight Congo's presidential vote as opposition cries foul

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Long queues, broken-down machines and torrential rain in the capital disrupted voting in Democratic Republic of Congo’s long-anticipated presidential poll on Sunday, as the opposition alleged widespread irregularities.

Three opposition strongholds will see no casting of ballots at all after the authorities canceled the vote there, citing health risks from an ongoing Ebola outbreak and ethnic violence.

Some polling places in other opposition bastions in the capital Kinshasa did not open until more than seven hours after the 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) start because voter rolls had not arrived.

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More News On Today's Presidential Elections In Congo

The Latest: Congo polls remain open for whoever is in line -- AP
DR Congo election: Presidential poll hit by delays -- BBC
Delays, frustrations mark Congo’s presidential election -- AP
Volatile DR Congo votes after two-year delay -- AFP
Polls open as DR Congo chooses successor to longtime leader Kabila -- France 24
Congolese finally go to the polls amid fears over fraud -- The Guardian
Congo voters cast ballots in election delayed for 2 years -- CNN
Congo voters barred over Ebola vote anyway, by the thousands -- AP
DR Congo voters go to polls in long-delayed elections -- DW
DRC election: Voting under way in long-delayed polls -- Al Jazeera
AP Explains: Why groundbreaking Congo vote could stumble -- Cara Anna, AP

Congo's Opposition Cry's Foul Before This Wekends Vote

Reuters: Congo opposition cry foul over web-enabled voting machines

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Opposition candidates in this weekend’s presidential election in Democratic Republic of Congo demanded on Tuesday that the electoral board deactivate SIM cards in voting machines to prevent the electronic transmission of results.

The opposition are up in arms because active SIM cards could allow the electoral board (CENI) to tabulate the vote electronically, despite repeated assurances the results would be based on hand counts of paper print-outs from the machines.

Disputes about the largely untested machines have stoked tensions ahead of Sunday’s long-anticipated election, which the CENI postponed from this past weekend due to delays deploying voting materials.

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Update #1: Confusion, anger grow as Congo faces Sunday’s election (AP)
Update #2: DR Congo election: Voters concerned over credibility of polls (Al Jazeera)
Update #3: DRC: What is Joseph Kabila's legacy after 18 years in power? (Hamza Mohamed, Al Jazeera)

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. No one is going to be satisfied with the results of this Sunday's election.

Fourteen U.N. Peacekeepers And Five Congo Soldiers Killed In Congo Attack

Reuters: Rebels kill 14 peacekeepers in Congo in worst attack on U.N. in recent history

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Suspected Ugandan rebels killed at least 14 Tanzanian U.N. peacekeepers and wounded 53 others in a raid on a base in Congo that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called the worst attack on the organization in recent history.

Tanzania’s President John Magufuli said he was “shocked and saddened” by the deaths, which come amid rising violence against civilians, the army and U.N. troops in Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern borderlands.

The U.N. chief said the attack constituted a war crime and called on Congolese authorities to investigate and “swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice”.

“I want to express my outrage and utter heartbreak at last night’s attack,” Guterres told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. “There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else.”

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More News On Today's Attack That Killed Fourteen U.N. Peacekeepers And Five Congo Soldiers In Congo

The Latest: Tanzania president in shock over UN Congo attack -- AP
UN chief condemns attack that leaves at least 14 peacekeepers dead in volatile eastern DR Congo -- UN News Centre
Rebels kill 14 peacekeepers in Congo in worst attack on U.N. in recent history -- Reuters
DR Congo: UN peacekeepers killed in attack in North Kivu -- BBC
14 UN peacekeepers killed, 53 hurt in Congo attack -- AP
14 UN peacekeepers are killed and more than 50 wounded in 'worst attack on United Nations troops in recent history' in Congo -- Daily Mail
14 UN peacekeepers slain in Congo -- CNN
Rebel Attack in East Congo Leaves 14 Peacekeepers Dead, UN Says -- Bloomberg
Islamist attack kills at least 14 UN peacekeepers and five soldiers in DRC -- The Guardian
Attack in Eastern Congo Kills 14 Peacekeepers, Injures Over 40 - UN -- Sputnik
The “worst attack” on UN peacekeepers in recent history has left 14 dead in DR Congo -- Quartz

Growing Violence In Congo Over The President's Decision To Stay In Power

Washington Post: Up to 20 dead in clashes in Congo over president’s decision to stay in power

KINSHASA, Congo — Security forces clashed with protesters in the capital of the Congo on Tuesday, leaving up to 20 people dead, as a political crisis escalated over the president’s refusal to step down at the end of his formal term.

The demonstrations were scattered across Kinshasa, a sprawling city of 12 million, and quickly put down by heavily armed soldiers and police. Young men set tires aflame and threw rocks at police, who responded with tear gas. There were few details about the killings, but some hospitals in the city reported receiving victims who had been shot or beaten. By mid-afternoon, police officers could be seen arresting young men in large groups.

The United Nations had "received reports that 20 people were killed," according to Felix Basse, a U.N. spokesman in Kinshasa. By Tuesday evening, it was still working to confirm those reports, he said.

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More News On The Growing Violence In Congo

Deadly protests in DR Congo as Kabila clings to office -- AFP
Several killed in protests calling for Congo's Kabila to step down -- Reuters
DR Congo anti-Kabila protests 'leave more than 20 dead' -- BBC
20 dead' in DRC protests after president's term expires -- The Guardian
Violent Protests Erupt in Congo as UN Investigates 20 Deaths -- Bloomberg
Sporadic Clashes Erupt in DRC Capital as Kabila’s Term Ends -- VOA
Congo's Political Crisis: The Key Players -- Newsweek

Gun-Battles Rocked The Capital Of The Congo Republic. Rival Militias Are Being Blamed

Reuters: Gunbattles rock Brazzaville in wake of disputed Congo election

Gunbattles rocked the capital of the Congo Republic on Monday, shattering a relative calm that had followed President Denis Sassou Nguesso's re-election in a disputed poll last month.

The fighting between security forces and unidentified gunmen was some of the worst to hit Brazzaville since 1997, when Sassou Nguesso returned to power after months of urban warfare between rival militia groups in the capital.

He had previously ruled the oil-producing country from 1979 until he lost an election in 1992.

Witnesses said young opposition supporters chanted "Sassou, leave!", erected barricades near the main roundabout in southern Brazzaville's Makelekele neighborhood and set fire to the local mayor's office and police headquarters.

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More News On Today's Gun Battles In Congo

Heavy gunfire in Congo-Brazzaville capital as police battle militia -- The Guardian/AP
Gunfire heard in Republic of Congo's capital -- FOX News/AP
Fighting erupts in Congo capital, thousands flee -- AFP
Congo Brazzaville: Heavy gunfire heard on streets -- BBC
Fighting breaks out in Congo capital between police and unknown gunmen -- DW
Heavy Shooting Between Police, Gunmen in Congo's Capital -- VOA
Congo: Heavy gunfire reported in fresh violence in Brazzaville -- IBTimes
Congo Republic Deploys Troops in Capital After Heavy Gunfire -- Bloomberg
Congo violence caused by people who contested election: state TV -- Reuters

Uganda Rebels Blamed For Attacks In Eastern Congo

BBC

At Least 27 Killed In Attacks In Eastern Congo - Official -- Reuters

(Reuters) - At least 27 people were killed and another seven people seriously injured in overnight raids on villages near the eastern Congolese town of Beni, local officials said on Thursday.

Julien Paluku, governor of North Kivu province, blamed the attack on Ugandan ADF-NALU rebels that operate alongside a string of other local and foreign armed groups in Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral-rich eastern border zone.

A Congolese military source, who asked not to be named, said houses were burned and some of the victims were decapitated.

The mayor of Beni declared a day of mourning.

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Update #1: Ugandan rebels suspected in deadly attack in DRC -- Al Jazeera
Update #2: Rebels kill 26 in DRC machete attack as UN chief told to leave -- ZEE News/AFP

My Comment: This conflict has been ongoing for years.

Fierce Fighting Reported In Eastern Congo

Bosco 'Terminator' Ntaganda Takes Over DR Congo Towns -- BBC

Troops loyal to Bosco Ntaganda, wanted by the International Criminal Court, have taken two towns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A BBC reporter in the area says thousands of people are fleeing the fierce fighting towards nearby Goma.

Hundreds of heavily armed soldiers loyal to Gen Ntaganda recently defected from the Congolese army.

Known locally as the Terminator, Gen Ntaganda has denied the ICC accusation that he recruited child soldiers.

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Update: Bosco 'Terminator' Ntaganda troops take over DR Congo towns -- Global Post

My Comment: What Africa does not need right now .... another warlord who enjoys terrorizing and killing people. A profile on Gen Ntaganda can be read here.

Eastern Congo Is The "Rape Capital Of The World"

Photo: Filmmaker Fiona Lloyd-Davies.

Why Eastern DR Congo Is 'Rape Capital Of The World' -- Fiona Lloyd-Davies, Special to CNN

(CNN) -- From the first time you step into Eastern Congo, you find yourself surrounded by the exotic and extraordinary, be it flora and fauna or the just plain incongruous -- the severed wing of a Russian aircraft stored on the side of the road, or a boy with a gun.

The place is pulsating with the heat and energy of a population of people fighting to survive just one more day. But the violence here is as intense as this intoxicating, heady mix of Africa at its best and worst.

Eastern Congo has been called the "rape capital of the world" by U.N. Special Representative Margot Wallstrom. Reports record that 48 women are raped every hour. I have been working in the region for 10 years and have seen a tragic development in this unpunished crime against the heart of society.

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My Comment: A very disturbing read .... it makes one realize how evil some places are in this world. Kudos to people like Fiona Lloyd-Davies .... only God knows where she gets her drive to do the reporting that she does.

A Look At Congo's Conflict Minerals

Ryan Gosling: "Raise Hope for Congo" from Enough Project on Vimeo.

Congo's Conflict Minerals: The Next Blood Diamonds -- Huffington Post

We recently traveled together to Congo, where the deadliest war in the world is occurring. During the trip, Ryan made this video, "Raise Hope for Congo."

It's a war which most people know nothing about, despite the fact that we're all directly connected to it. Armed groups are fighting over the lucrative minerals that power our cell phones and laptops, leaving a trail of human destruction that has no equal globally since World War II.

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More News On The Conflict Over Congo's Minerals

Firms Seek Supply Route Around Conflict in Congo -- Wall Street Journal
Rwanda bans export of Congo conflict area minerals -- Reuters
Delay in US Law to Combat Africa's Conflict Minerals Sharpens Divisions -- Voice of America
IT Firms Seek Conflict-Free Tantalum: U.S. legislation says it's time for show-and-tell -- Adweek
Congo a country of rape and ruin -- Washington Times
Opinion: End use of conflict minerals in Congo, says Ryan Gosling -- Global Post

War Criminals Are In The DR Congo Military

United Nations Imposes Sanctions on Congolese Official Over Child Soldiers -- Bloomberg

The United Nations imposed sanctions on a Democratic Republic of Congo army commander for multiple human-rights abuses, including the use of child soldiers, the UN missions of the U.S., U.K. and France said in a joint statement.

A UN Security Council sanctions committee banned Lieutenant-Colonel Innocent Zimurinda from foreign travel and froze his assets after reports by the UN and other aid groups accused him of ordering massacres and rape, and recruiting child soldiers, according to the e-mailed statement.

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Update #1: DRC colonel on UN blacklist for alleged rapes and murders -- RFI
Update #2: Congo army commander hit with U.N. sanctions -- Yahoo News/Reuters

My Comment: When senior officers of your country's military are put on a UN list for war crimes, that is when you know that you have a failed state.

UN Report: Rwanda And 6 Other Countries May Have Committed Genocide In Congo

Rwanda May Have Committed Genocide In Congo, UN Says -- Bloomberg

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Rwandan soldiers may have committed genocide and six other countries are suspected of war crimes or crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1993 to 2003, the United Nations said.

A so-called mapping report, published by the UN’s human- rights agency today, details more than 600 “gross violations of human rights and/or international law” by rebel groups and the armies of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe and Chad. Rwandan soldiers in particular may be guilty of genocide for the deliberate killing of ethnic Hutu refugees, according to the report.

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More News On The UN Report Of Genocide In The DR Congo

UN claims possible genocide in DRCongo -- Yahoo News/AFP
U.N. report details hundreds of Congo atrocities -- Yahoo News/Reuters
UN claims possible genocide in DRCongo -- Sydney Morning Herald
UN report pins Uganda on Congo -- Daily Monitor
UN tones down Congo 'genocide' report -- AP
Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi furious at UN DRC report -- RFI
Backlash as UN unveils DRCongo massacres report -- AFP
Uganda rejects UN report on war crimes in Congo -- The Guardian
Ugandan fury over UN report into Congo 'war crimes' -- BBC
Dispute Over U.N. Report Evokes Rwandan Déjà Vu -- New York Times
UN's Congo report could spur genocide trials -- AP
DR Congo demands justice for massacre victims -- Vancouver Sun/AFP
Rwanda: UN Report On Congo Atrocities Threatens Regional Stability -- RTT News
Identify the Congo killers and bring them to justice -- Reed Brody, The Guardian
ANALYSIS-Justice in doubt for Congo atrocity victims -- Reuters

My Comment: There is going to be no follow-up on this report. Rwanda is needed for peace keeping missions in places like Darfur, and charging Rwanda's leaders for genocide while they are preventing genocide in Darfur is a decision that the UN is not going to take (for now).

The Misery In Eastern Congo Continues

Vigilantes during a training session in Bangadi, northeastern Congo. The leaked UN report linked Rwanda and Uganda to war crimes in Congo. File Photo

Rwandan Army Rumored To Be Sending New Soldiers To Neighboring Congo -- Christian Science Monitor

Despite recent accusations that the Rwandan Army committed a possible genocide in the Congo in the 1990s, meetings between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Joseph Kabila are fueling rumors of a new troop deployment there.

There have been some persistent rumors in the region about a possible new deployment of Rwandan Army soldiers into the Congo. Of course, these kinds of rumors are a dime a dozen around Goma nad Bukavu. These, however, come from sources within the officer corps of the armed militia party National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), as well as from inside the Rwandan government, so perhaps we should give them more credence.

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More News On The Violence In Eastern Congo

UN report links Uganda to war crimes in Congo -- East African
Congo examines mass graves to find proof of revenge genocide on Hutus -- The Guardian
Rwanda, Eastern Congo, and the Meaning of 'Genocide' -- The Atlantic

Pressure on mobile phone makers to stop using Congolese 'blood minerals' -- The Telegraph
Rwanda plans scheme to avoid conflict minerals -- Reuters
Congo extends mining ban to 3 other volatile areas -- AP
DR Congo bans mining in eastern provinces -- BBC
DRCongo suspends mining in troubled east: minister -- AFP

Congolese women denounce mass rape and foreign occupation -- San Francisco Bay View
U.N. Report: More Than 500 Rapes In Eastern Congo -- NPR
UN report on Congo rapes released. Are peacekeepers bad at protecting civilians? -- Christian Science Monitor
We have failed, admits UN, as fresh wave of Congo rapes emerges -- The Independent
Aid Worker: Congo Rapes A Strategy To Force Exodus -- NPR

What Africom’s Not Telling Us About Rape In Congo …

From War Is Boring:

Kinshasa — Sexual violence is a huge problem in the Democratic Republic of Congo: everyone knows it. But just how huge? And who exactly are the victims? A mostly American team comprising representatives from several universities plus the U.S. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the U.S. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and U.S. Special Operations Command Africa — part of U.S. Africa Command — surveyed a thousand households across Congo this spring and came up with some surprising results. The full study, which was co-funded by universities and the U.S. Army, is behind a firewall at the Journal of the American Medical Association, but the abstract isn’t.

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My Comment: My gut tells me that David Axe is right, what the media is reporting is probably just the tip of the iceberg on how rape has now become an integral part in this part of Africa.

As an independent journalist/blogger, David Axe depends on contributions to continue his work, if you are able, donate some money to his tip jar.

UN Peace Keepers Faulted For Congo Rapes

U.N. Officials Say 500 Were Victims of Congo Rapes -- New York Times

UNITED NATIONS — Approximately 500 women were raped in eastern Congo in July and August, demonstrating that both rebel militias and government troops used sexual violence as a weapon, two senior United Nations officials said Tuesday.

Since United Nations officials first disclosed late last month that large numbers of women had been gang-raped, the number reported has grown, to 242 victims from at least 150 concentrated in 13 villages in North Kivu Province, including 28 minors.

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More News On The Failure Of the UN In The Congo

UN has failed Congo mass rape victims, says investigator -- The Guardian
U.N. Report Faults Peacekeepers -- Wall Street Journal
UN Official Says Peacekeepers 'Failed' Victims of DRC Rapes -- Voice of America
UN 'must do better' for DR Congo rape victims -- BBC
U.N. puts Congo sex attacks at more than 500 -- CNN
UN reports over 500 rapes in eastern Congo -- AP
Congo rape victims estimate rises again -- Salon
U.N. combats mass rapes in Congo -- UPI
UN peacekeepers 'failed' DR Congo rape victims -- BBC
U.N. Urges Sanctions Against Rebel Rapists In Congo -- New York Times/Reuters
U.N. combats mass rapes in Congo -- Polijam Times
Q&A: DR Congo conflict -- BBC

UN Report Accuses Rwanda Of Genocide In Congo

Among the Hutus who fled to DR Congo in 1994 were many of the militiamen responsible for Rwanda's genocide. Photo from The BBC

Leaked UN Report Accuses Rwanda Of Possible Genocide In Congo -- The Guardian

Unprecedented investigation by human rights commissioner says Hutu deaths 'cannot be put down to margins of war'

The United Nations has accused Rwanda of wholesale war crimes, including possibly genocide, during years of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

An unprecedented 600-page investigation by the UN high commissioner for human rights catalogues years of murder, rape and looting in a conflict in which hundreds of thousands were slaughtered.

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More News On the UN Report Accusing Rwanda of Genocide

UN DR Congo 'genocide' draft report - key excerpts -- BBC
Leaked UN Report Levels Serious Accusations Against Rwanda -- UN Dispatch
Congo butchery resembled Rwanda genocide: UN lawyer -- AFP
Rwanda accused of war crimes -- Sydney Morning Herald
Draft U.N. report accuses Rwandan army of genocide -- The Hindu
UN: Attacks on Hutus in 1990s could be genocide -- AP
Bombshell UN report leaked: 'Crimes of genocide' against Hutus in Congo -- Christian Science Monitor
UN uncovers possible genocide in Congo: report -- AFP
Rwanda Rejects Report Alleging Role In Possible Congolese Genocide -- NPR
Rwandan Government Slams United Nations Report Alleging Genocide in Congo -- Bloomberg
Statement by the Government of Rwanda on Leaked Draft UN Report on DRC -- Financial Post

Another Failure Of The UN In Africa

U.N. Peacekeepers Cite Delay In Learning Of Mass Rape In Congo -- CNN

Goma, Democratic Republic Of The Congo (CNN) -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo did not know about a rebel attack and mass rape in that region until more than a week after the events took place, a U.N. peacekeeping mission official said Wednesday.

But the account of the delay was disputed by a non-governmental organization.

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More News On The Problem of Rape In Congo's War Zones

U.N. Knew of Rebels in Area of Congo Rapes -- New York Times
UN says Congo rapes not mentioned to patrols -- AP
UN 'was not told about DR Congo mass rapes' -- BBC
UN Secretary-General Seeks New Measures to Protect Congo Civilians -- Voice Of America
UN to improve DR Congo links -- Al Jazeera
Rwandan rebels deny role in mass rapes in DRC -- Mail & Guardian
Hillary Clinton Condemns Sexual Violence In Congo -- RTT News
Clinton condemns mass gang-rape in Congo -- Foreign Policy
Congo rapes and bureaucracy -- Salon
Congo rapes: too easy to blame the UN -- The Guardian opinion

Rape And Violence In Eastern Congo Is Becoming The Norm

Rwandan Rebels Raped at Least 150 Women in Congo, Humanitarian Officials Say -- New York Times

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — A mob of Rwandan rebels gang-raped at least 150 women last month during a weekend raid on a community of villages in eastern Congo, United Nations and other humanitarian officials said Sunday.

The United Nations blamed the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or F.D.L.R., for the attack. The F.D.L.R. is an ethnic Hutu rebel group that has been terrorizing the hills of eastern Congo for years, preying on villages in a quest for the natural resources beneath them.

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My Comment: If there is a part of the world where Satan is present .... this part of the Congo must be it. The sad part of this conflict is that it is financed by "all of us" as we continue to purchase the conflict minerals that come from this region.

Taking Aim At Congo's Conflict Minerals

Photo: Mark Craemer; Captions by David Sullivan at The Enough Project.
Image from Treehugger

U.S. Financial Reform Bill Also Targets 'Conflict Minerals' From Congo -- Washington Post

The financial regulation bill that President Obama will sign into law on Wednesday is supposed to clean up Wall Street. But an obscure passage buried deep in the 2,300-page legislation aims to transform a very different place -- eastern Congo, labeled the "rape capital of the world."

The passage, tucked into the bill's "Miscellaneous Provisions," will require thousands of U.S. companies to disclose what steps they are taking to ensure that their products, including laptops, cellphones and medical devices, don't contain "conflict minerals" from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The sale of such minerals has fueled a nearly 15-year war that has been marked by a horrific epidemic of sexual violence.

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My Comment: U.S. efforts will be ineffectual. Mineral dependent countries like China, India, etc .... the priority for them is to have access to these minerals .... "conflict minerals" of not. To then know if the laptop that is being manufactured in a Chinese factory has a part whose metal composition has a percentage of it from the Congo .... I completely fail to see how U.S. oversight will prevent this .... short of having scores of U.S. personnel in China at every step of the manufacturing process .... an unlikely possibility.

Congo's Civil War Heats Up As Tens Of Thousands Flee

Congo Army Clashes With Ugandan Rebels, 40,000 Flee -- Reuters

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo troops are fighting Ugandan rebels in oil-rich eastern Congo in clashes that have killed two dozen combatants and forced thousands of civilians to flee, military and humanitarian sources said on Thursday.

These are the first clashes in years between Congo's FARDC army and the Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU) -- a rebel group trying to set up an Islamic state in Uganda.

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More News On Congo's Continuing War Against Rebels In The East

Fighting in DR Congo displaces 37,000: UN -- AFP
DR Congo offensive against ADF rebels: 'Thousands flee' -- BBC
Some 70,000 flee DR.Congo unrest: UN -- AFP
Tens of thousands flee Congo fighting -- SOS Children's Villages
Congo: Troops Battle Ugandan Rebels -- New York Times
20,000 Flee Fighting with Ugandan Rebels in Congo -- Voice of America

My Comment: Another round of misery for people in a region that has known misery and war for decades.

The UN Peacekeeping Mission In Congo Is Being Accused Of Collaborating With Known Human Rights Abusers

U.N. Urged To Cease Aid To Congo Regime Accused Of Horrific Acts -- Washington Post

Human Rights Watch cites surge in brutal killings and gang rapes.

NAIROBI -- The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo is collaborating with known human rights abusers as it backs a brutal Congolese military operation that has led to the deliberate killing of at least 1,400 civilians and a massive surge in rapes, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

The 183-page report, the fullest accounting so far of the operation, is a chronicle of horrors. It describes gang rapes, massacres, village burnings and civilians being tied together before their throats are slit -- many incidents carried out by a Congolese army being fed, transported and otherwise supported by the United Nations.

The report calls for the U.N. peacekeeping mission to "immediately cease all support" to the Congolese army until the army removes commanders with known records of human rights abuses and otherwise ensures the operation complies with international humanitarian laws.

My Comment: The solution to this conflict is simple .... more UN soldiers (many more), and more money.

Oh yeah ..... cough cough .... no one is in a position to send more soldiers, and the bank is (cough cough) empty.

Sigh .... this reminds me of the movie "A Bridge Too Far". During World War II the allies could not reach a group of Allied soldiers that had seized a crucial bridge .... they were just too far away.

The same can be said of the conflict in the Congo .... this is one war that is just too far away for us to intervene effectively. That if we look at it realistically .... we just do not have the means or resources to make a difference even if we try.