|
Ease Congo's
tragedy
Toronto star For five years, Congo has been tormented by the nastiest war on Earth. Some 3 million have been killed, or died of starvation and disease as neighbouring countries and tribal militias to control regions rich in gold, diamonds, timber and oil. Now, just as President Joseph Kabila is cobbling together a government of national unity to end the civil conflict, new fighting broke out this month in the country's lawless Great Lakes region where 25,000 Hema and Lendu tribal fighters are at each others' throats. Bunia, the local city of 350,000, is a ghost town. At least 300 are dead. Other micro-conflicts also rage in the troubled Kivu and Ituri regions. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appealed for more peacekeeping troops to boost the 4,000 now there, 700 of them in the war torn area. France has offered 1,000 Foreign Legionnaires, if other countries are prepared to join in. Prime Minister Jean Chr�tien says Canada is willing to help, but only with a "small contribution." Last week, Defence Minister John McCallum talked of sending two military transport planes. Other officials spoke of a handful of troops. Strapped though Canada may be, given our sizable military commitments in the Balkans and Afghanistan, this is a pathetic response to an urgent need. The Congolese are no less deserving of help than Bosnians, Kosovars, Afghans or Iraqis. We should be able to muster a few hundred troops to help, drawing on the Reserves if necessary. As Chr�tien himself says, "Africa is always neglected" when tragedy hits. If there's hope of restoring order in Congo, a country of 60 million that has destabilized much of central Africa, we should do our part. If we can't, we must draw harsh conclusions about the Liberal government's failure to equip us to project our values and defend our interests. Kabila cannot hope to rebuild Congo without long-term outside help. He lacks the troops to police his vast, poorly connected country, especially the Great Lakes region. Congo was torn apart in 1997 when central authority collapsed, and Rwanda and Uganda invaded to prevent Rwandan and Ugandan rebels from using Congo as a launch-pad for attacks. Meanwhile, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia rushed in to prop up the central government. Kabila and Congo's main rebel factions have signed accords to set up a government and merge their forces into a new army, but they can't yet control the militias Congo's neighbours funded and armed. Fighting erupted in Bunia when Uganda withdrew thousands of troops, creating a security vacuum. Canada should contribute to a stronger U.N. force with the mandate and firepower to douse brushfire wars and give the central government a chance to regain control. The
Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
