Torture, murder and cannibalism: how two UN men died in Congo

The Independent (U.K.) ^ | 06/02/03 | Declan Walsh

[Dog]

Whoa...

[thegreatbeast]

Oh yea, the UN is the way to go!
"Since its inception in 1999, the $2 million a day mission to Congo - known under its French acronym, MONUC - has been "a long, bad story", according to the analyst François Grignon. Lukewarm international interest is to blame, but so are naivety and ineptitude."
Let's piss more money down this bottomless well...

[Gritty]

some fighters wore penises and kidneys around their necks as magic amulets

It's a good thing those nasty European colonialists were chased out of Africa. No telling what ghastly human rights violations would be taking place if they still ruled the place!

[I_love_weather]

So I am curious...how many people have to die before the world really does pay attention to this disaster.

1 million?
2 million?

What about 3 million?

How many?

Will the world ever take notice?

Will the world just allow them to kill themselves off? Do we just go forward and believe that "there is nothing we can do"

How is this different from the jews being killed off?

How is this different from any other genocide?

Does it matter that the people are from Africa?

Does it matter that they are black?

I don't know the answers...but I am asking.

I don't understand the situation enough to know what the right answers are.

I do know one thing...something needs to be done.

[Skywalk]

I know my view won't be popular but I think the US should quickly get behind a stronger UN movement to do something here. One of the reasons this has gone on in Africa is not just cultural, but the fact that no one intervenes. They operate without fear of being put down brutally.

The world needs to make an example of these evil savages. Really, would anyone on this forum mind if the US transported French, British, Pakistani and some other UN troops to the Congo to engage in a REAL war against these scum? Just send some armored vehicles, these bastards are armed with machetes and small arms.

Kill them all, without mercy and maybe future "warlords" won't be so quick to engage in such savagery.

[backhoe]

It's always been a bloody, nasty region:

CongoWeb - History of the Congo
CongoWeb - le Congo History of the Congo. Timeline. Chronological summary.
History. Congo history according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Lists. ...
congo.congoweb.net/history.html - 3k - Cached - Similar pages

African History
... of the Congo are frequently portrayed as passive victims of both colonial and domestic
abuses, Nzongola-Ntalaja's "People's History" of the Congo stresses that ...
www.boondocksnet.com/cb/history8.html - Similar pages

The Story of the Congo Free State
... I do not propose to narrate here the European history of the Congo
Free State. There is an abundant literature on that subject. ...
www.boondocksnet.com/editions/morel/morel09.html - Similar pages
[ More results from www.boondocksnet.com ]

CongoWeb - History of the Congo
TBN.ru - ÓÅÔØ ÖÉ×ÕÝÁÑ ÐÏ ÐÒÁ×ÉÌÁÍ TBN_Text CongoWeb -
le Congo History of the Congo. Timeline. Chronological summary. History. ...
www.congo.h1.ru/history.html - 5k - Cached - Similar pages

The Choices Program | Conquest, Conflict, and Commerce: The ...
... While the history of the Congo Free State, and later the Belgian Congo, is atypical
of European imperialism of this era, this unit confronts students with a ...
www.choices.edu/edsummaries/congopage.html - 12k - Cached - Similar pages

Palgrave Macmillan: Catalogue: The Congo
... for the future." --Mbaya Kankwenda, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria It is
refreshing to have a well-written popular history of the Congo by a Congolese ...
www.palgrave-usa.com/catalogue/ index.asp?isbn=1842770527 - 14k - Cached - Similar pages

Congo
... Pre-Colonial History. The early history of the Congo was focused on
three ancient kingdoms-the Kongo, the Loango, and the Teke. The ...
www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/countries/Congo.html - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

Picture map of the traditional tribes of the Congo, from the ...
... THE BEST SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF THE CONGO I HAVE FOUND IS IN A PREFACING TO A
VERY DETAILED, ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE BY AVIATION HISTORIAN ROBERT CRAIG JOHNSON ...
www.dlynnwaldron.com/CongoTribesmap.html - 10k - Cached - Similar pages

Raoul Peck's movie "Lumumba" a discussion by D'Lynn Waldron
... and other Congo materials on the author page at: http://www.dlynnwaldron.com/author
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History of Equatorial Guinea - MavicaNET
... Select site, CongoWeb - History of the Congo - English URL: http://www.congoweb.net/congo/history.html.
Congo history according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. ...
www.mavicanet.ru/directory/eng/20857.html - 67k - Cached - Similar pages

Ralph Bunche | Educational Resources | Online Resources
... The United Nations and Decolonization and Trusteeship. "Africana.com" Article on
the history of the Congo. "Britannica.com" Article on the history of the Congo. ...
www.ralphbunche.com/education/online.html - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

About Search - Find it now!
... Congo Reform Movement Access articles about the Belgian Congo, European interventions
and colonialism in Africa, and the history of the Congo Reform Movement ...
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CongoWeb - All about the Congo
... Geography. Geography of the Congo. Economy. Neighbouring countries. History.
History of the Congo. Languages. The languages of the Congo. /TD>. Government. ...
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Los Angeles Times: Congo's 'Heart' isn't revealed
... BOOK REVIEW Congo's 'Heart' isn't revealed The Troubled Heart of Africa, A
History of the Congo. Robert B. Edgerton, St. Martin's: 288 pp., $26.95. ...
www.calendarlive.com/books/reviews/ cl-et-book3jan03,0,7989584.story?coll=cl-books-reviews - 27k - Cached - Similar pages

Books: Corruption in the Congo (Memphis Flyer . 10-04-99)
... Adam Hochschild answers questions about the reaction to his provocative book, the
history of the Congo, and the political landscape of the post-colonial era. ...
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Amazon.com: Books / Subjects / History / Africa / Democratic ...
... 3. The Troubled Heart of Africa: A History of the Congo by Robert Edgerton
(Author) (Hardcover -- December 1, 2002) No customer rating available. ...
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Zeitgeist Films: Lumumba: The Congo
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CONGO BEFORE INDEPENDENCE. The Congo has been shaped
by diverse and complex forces: its precolonial past, colonial ...
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[Skywalk]

Yeah, but you gotta wonder what the impact of the Belgian presence was in the Congo. They were extraordinarily brutal, unlike the British and even the French who actually did believe in the mission civilatrice.

Not excusing them, but the Belgian colonies have a long legacy of such brutality, though I don't think any Belgians ate Congolese natives.

[Skywalk]

You know, I'm reminded of Rwanda and indeed the Sudan. But part of the problem with intervening in Rwanda was the backlash against Somali intervention and Aidid's people were relatively civilized compared to these evil brutes.

I don't know why the Clinton administration denied APCs to the UN mission in Rwanda to at least get some Tutsis to safety and I don't know why we don't rally world support to do something in the Congo. We need not have our own men fight there, let the UN contingent do that, but give them the "mandate" to FIGHT.

[dennisw]

This looks like the cheap Frog bas**rads are at it again. Having the UN do their dirty work and not doing it well at all.

[John Beresford Tipton]

"severed sexual organs - according to some reports the hearts and livers were also missing - raised the possibility of cannibalism."

Never again am I going to tell anyone to "bite me."

[McGavin999]

Sounds to me like they need more than 1400 troops and if the Brits send 200 they are sending those 200 to their death.

The french have been trying to prove they're a world power, well, this is their chance. Send enough soldiers to make a difference or shut their pie holes.

[Mears]

Gritty,I was going to post something quite similiar to your post but you said it much better than I would have.

Aren't these African nations doing a great job governing themselves?

There is another thread today about Mau Mau's wanting,and getting,reparations in Kenya.Unbelievable.

[Coroner]

It would be kinda nice if this caught on in countries like Saudi Arabia!!!!

[albee]

I think it is time for Kofi Annan, as Secretary-GENERAL of the U.N. to put on some military duds and take personal command of the U.N. Forces in the Congo. He is always critical of the job being done by foreign troops. Let this be his chance to prove his effectiveness as a leader!

However, in view of the cannibalism going on, he must be willing to submit to an X-Ray of his stomach prior to his return to civilization.

[F16Fighter]

"Will the world ever take notice?"

Naaah -- Africa's not geographically close enough for this to spread to Europe for them to care; It won't produce any profits for Kofi Annon and the other UN vultures; The "compassionate" Democratic phonies realize it won't produce a voting constituency here in the U.S.; The GOP is afraid to take action for SOME unknown reason.

[Criminal Number 18F]

if the Brits send 200 they are sending those 200 to their death.

I would not want to be among the African mob that tries to take on British troops. I guarantee you they will only make that mistake one time. It was the British who showed us how much more effective a professional army is than a draft army (they ended the draft over 40 years ago).

These African movements simply can't stand against Western regulars. It;s not the minutemen at Lexington here, it's a bunch of savages who practice magical thinking and barely understand the operation of small arms against men who are trained and drilled to act as a team. In Africa where we have used African armies the results are mixed, because the plain fact is that the best of them are not very good. But when Western armies go there (and that would include the Uruguayans) they can usually establish control immediately.

Of course, it's a UNAMA belief that all militaries are inherently equal, which is nonsense. Look at the history of the Congo, and whoever had the most Europeans in his service usually won.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[MonroeDNA]

Have they tried midnight basketball?

[MonroeDNA]

Good information.

What is it about Africa that they are still killing and eating each other, anyway? Has any non-white-led African country ever been safe to travel to?

[Paul_B]

And it's the likes of the Congo to which the US is supposed to submit its foreign policy for approval, via the UN.