FDLR
The French acronym for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.
This an armed group of around 10,000 give or take a few thousand who operate in North and South Kivu in the eastern DRC and are composed of "Hutu rebels with links to the 1994 genocide in ... Rwanda."
They hang around in the forest and occasionally launch small raids into Rwanda. They also rape and pillage the surrounding countryside with impunity. A British guy with their equivalent of the USAID told me that is because they are, with the exception of the UN, the most effective military force in the Congo. The Congolese Army can't begin to handle them so they can do what they want.
What they want, is not only to rape women, but to ruin them. This they do by ripping up their genitals with various implements to include knives and pistol bullets. This behavior is intentional, a technique to influence "hearts and minds."
The British guy I spoke to visited a medical facility near Bukavu that had 10 to 12 women A DAY come in be treated for these kinds of injuries. How many don't survive or can't make the trip?
There was a story on CNN about a week ago about the same thing.
What do you do about a group of men who have discovered the advantages of maintaining military organization without being sponsored by a nation state? They don't have to get jobs, they take the women and whatever else they want when they want. From a simple biological point of view, their lives are pretty good. Why should they stop?
This an armed group of around 10,000 give or take a few thousand who operate in North and South Kivu in the eastern DRC and are composed of "Hutu rebels with links to the 1994 genocide in ... Rwanda."
They hang around in the forest and occasionally launch small raids into Rwanda. They also rape and pillage the surrounding countryside with impunity. A British guy with their equivalent of the USAID told me that is because they are, with the exception of the UN, the most effective military force in the Congo. The Congolese Army can't begin to handle them so they can do what they want.
What they want, is not only to rape women, but to ruin them. This they do by ripping up their genitals with various implements to include knives and pistol bullets. This behavior is intentional, a technique to influence "hearts and minds."
The British guy I spoke to visited a medical facility near Bukavu that had 10 to 12 women A DAY come in be treated for these kinds of injuries. How many don't survive or can't make the trip?
There was a story on CNN about a week ago about the same thing.
What do you do about a group of men who have discovered the advantages of maintaining military organization without being sponsored by a nation state? They don't have to get jobs, they take the women and whatever else they want when they want. From a simple biological point of view, their lives are pretty good. Why should they stop?
posted by Carl at 8:37 AM
5 Comments:
I refer you back to your post of May 18. It's like empirical evidence that GOd is mad at humanity.
Perhaps this is not evidence that God is mad at all of us and thus the reason for such insane behavior. I tend to think that it is Man choosing to turn away from God and live out his own selfish and evil desires without regard to anyone else that leads to such devilish behavior. The God of Christianity has always held a higher standard for human behavior and a need to turn from our own selfish ways. Man left to himself unchecked by either laws with consequences or a higher power will often lead to such radical and obscene behavior. The insanity seen in this world is a reminder for a need for man to turn to God and live a higher standard of life. It is my belief that God is not mad at humanity, but is allowing us to live our lives as we want....even if it means that we snub God. Just a thought.
Hi again Carl,
There is a lot of international media attention on this very subject at the moment (June 2nd) and I will hopefully be driving some traffic your way via posts about the DRC's bloggers at my place this month. I thought that I would give you a "Heads Up" beforehand being that you are so shy and all...:-) I also left a comment over at Congo Girl's place (ref: her March 2006 Europe's Heart of Darkness post) that you might want to check as well. It's great to see that you keep working hard online at your blog. You're getting better and better all the time.
Re: the FDLR.
It's a pity that there are so few (available) combat units around these days that could defeat these guys on their own turf and it's a disgrace that there is even less willpower on the part of UN member countries to put a STOP to the violence perpetrated by these rogue soldiers and militias prowling the Kivus and the Katanga provinces.
Perhaps the EU Security Mission to the DRC will be "forced" to intervene in the East if-and-when all Hell breaks loose. "You've got to be kidding!?" said the black guy in the back of the room. "God forbid if that happens as it would require the coordination of 25 EU Defence Ministers PLUS the permission of 25 EU parliaments AND perhaps a special resolution or two from the UN Security Council!" he reminded them.
No wonder there is so much continuing violence and death in the DRC's Wild, Wild East. Too few countries that could actually do something about it really give a damn and/or are in a position to act with the necessary force.
BRE: Thank you.
The EU security mission's real purpose, I think, is to secure the airports and riverfront in Kinshasa in the event an evacuation is required. It is silly to think a 1500 man unit could do more than that. The various suits in Europe may say otherwise, but that unit is to get their citizens out of Dodge if things go bad.
I read an International Crisis Group report on the situation in the east. An important point they made is that 4 days worth of spending on MONUC forces could properly train, equip, pay and care for a FARDC brigade for one year; and that would go further to tame the east than anything. Ultimately, the DRC must develop an good army and police force, somehow, someway.
An idea I had, tell me what you think, would be to recruit a corps of Sgt./Lt. trainers from all over the world to lead and train FARDC units. You would recruit a squad leader for 2-3 years and he would lead the squad and train his replacement. The same all the way up the line. I think the Brits used to do the same thing in the old days.
Mark: Maybe it would be more accurate for me to say it is empirical evidence that evil really does walk the earth; and we got a pile of evidence of that.
That idea about recruiting experienced military leaders from select UN member countries sounds pretty good. Problem is that several of the FARDC commanders and personnel operating in the eastern DRC are the very perpetrators of the violence and looting going on there, and that is their only interest___ raping, killing, and looting.
Kabila or whoever wins the election in July needs to order a purge of the FARDC and perhaps the top military brass back in Kinshasa. Then the country can start again from scratch building up their military and police forces with people who can get the job done right. Protect and Serve.
BTW: stop by the CNN Anderson Cooper 360° blog when you get a chance for a looksee at the massive reaction to Jeff Koinange's story on the mass rape victims of Bukavu & the follow-up interview with Joseph Kabila. You can link to the CNN blog from my last post and/or use the URL below:
http://premium.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/
P.S. I agree with you on the purpose of the EU Security Mission to the DR Congo AND the German government recently admitted that fact publicly in the press here. I left a long rant about this subject today over at The Malau's blog, The Salon of News and Thought.
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