Peace in our time??

The UN is huge in the Congo. They say that without the peacekeeping forces the country would break into a chaos of multiple conflicts. You can see their point, because even with their presence here (about 160,000 all told, I believe) there are uncontrolled militias and bandits.

In Kinshasa they are loved and hated in equal measure. People hate their arrogance, they way they drive their huge 4x4s without any regard for other road users, and their money. They are loved for much the same reason. Landlords are milking the situation and their incomes unquestionably keep many of the restaurants going, so giving us all more choice. And there’s something about their numbers and ubiquity which is reassuring.

The interesting thing about them is that they are much more than a military operation. I was amazed to discover that they build bridges, repair roads, teach democracy and participate in a number of activities than have nothing to do with the military. For example they have their own radio station which is considered the only reliable source of news, and make films about their co-operation in developing local communities. They played a huge role in organising and monitoring the last elections.

It is said that the government wants to get rid of them so that next year’s elections can be run without “external interference”. That would be disastrous, because besides the military chaos which might ensue, it would put an end to the only safe way of travelling around the country: the UN air services. Our operations, and those of most other aid organisations, would be grounded without them.

It’s tough being a peace keeper. What do you do all day? Their bases speak of efforts to make them homely with carefully tended flower beds, posters of alpine scenes and pretty tablecloths.

But as a peace keeper, you know that one or other of the warring factions will gain huge political kudos from attacking your base and killing some of your people. Every month some of them are killed in attacks which are designed to demonstrate that the bandits can be a problem if they choose. They rejoice, it seems, in the fact that any mortality brings shame and grief to the whole peace-keeping force, and gives the Congolese government the opportunity, as they did recently, to demand the withdrawal of the UN due to their lack of success in controlling the conflicts. In brief they are, as history shows, very vulnerable.

So, in a way, you can’t blame them for letting their hair down in Kinshasa.