The Congo - can anything be done there?

[Denn Forever]

In the current conflicts, over 5 million people have been killed, more than the total armed forces (on all sides) that died in the 2nd WW.  It is a frightening number when you think of it.

[Tony Baloney]

There is no willingness to get involved in these messy tribal conflicts in Africa. Clinton's failed sortie into Mogadishu has sacred off subsequent administrations.

[Gnevin]

This is going to sound very cold but I think we need to stop interfering in Africa when not asked to provide peace keeping and we should only provide them along with AU forces . Every time a out side power in Africa gets involved they make it worse.

[Minder]

There is no willingness to get involved in these messy tribal conflicts in Africa. Clinton's failed sortie into Mogadishu has sacred off subsequent administrations.

Unless they find a few barrels of oil then they will be in like a shot 

There are vast mineral supplies, which is basically why the fighting started.

[muppet]

This is going to sound very cold but I think we need to stop interfering in Africa when not asked to provide peace keeping and we should only provide it along with AU forces . Every time a out side power in Africa gets involved they make it worse.

What are Gold forces?

[Gnevin]

This is going to sound very cold but I think we need to stop interfering in Africa when not asked to provide peace keeping and we should only provide it along with AU forces . Every time a out side power in Africa gets involved they make it worse.

What are Gold forces?

Gold forces?

The AU is the African Union

[muppet]

Very good, hadn't heard of it.

http://www.africa-union.org/

[Gnevin]

This is going to sound very cold but I think we need to stop interfering in Africa when not asked to provide peace keeping and we should only provide it along with AU forces . Every time a out side power in Africa gets involved they make it worse.

What are Gold forces?

Muppet did you go road of AU=Aurum=Gold . If so I have to say I love your reasoning process , very creative .You must be great at logic games

[Top of the hill]

This is going to sound very cold but I think we need to stop interfering in Africa when not asked to provide peace keeping and we should only provide it along with AU forces . Every time a out side power in Africa gets involved they make it worse.

What are Gold forces?

Muppet did you go road of AU=Aurum=Gold . If so I have to say I love your reasoning process , very creative .You must be great at logic games

Either that or he just knows his periodic table. 

[Niall Quinn]

In the current conflicts, over 5 million people have been killed, more than the total armed forces (on all sides) that died in the 2nd WW.

I thought WW2 military casualities were pegged at around 20M?

[Gnevin]

In the current conflicts, over 5 million people have been killed, more than the total armed forces (on all sides) that died in the 2nd WW.

I thought WW2 military casualities were pegged at around 20M?

Over 70 Million, total died . 5 million is the number of German military deaths
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

[khabilli]

The international community has a responsibility to get involved in this conflict. The potential for genocide is too great as many of the rebels are former Interhamwe, members of the Hutu militia that carried out the genocide in Rwanda. They are now actively seeking revenge against Congolese Tutsis. One of the reasons why there was a genocide in 1994 was because of the inaction of the UN and the US, who refused to use the term genocide, thus preventing any peacekeeping forces from taking action against the Militia. It is not enough to just open up an aid corridor and hand out some food parcels; these people are entitled to their Human Rights under the UN declaration and must be protected.

[Mario]

Read an excellent book about the congo last year, it was on the bestseller rack in easons 'Blood River - A Journey To Africa's Broken Heart' a true story about an english reported travelling through the country. Would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the congo.

[guy crouchback]

Newbie
*
Posts: 34



View Profile Personal Message (Offline)
   
   
Re: The Congo - can anything be done there?
« Reply #13 on: Today at 10:17:56 AM »
   Reply with quote
Read an excellent book about the Congo last year, it was on the bestseller rack in easons 'Blood River - A Journey To Africa's Broken Heart' a true story about an english reported travelling through the country. Would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the congo.

i read that book and would also recommend it to any one who wants to get a feel for the situation in Congo. another good read is ''in the footsteps of captin Kurtz'' althougt this deals more with the Mobutu era. in terms of natural resources Congo is the richest country in the world. despite this it is a completely failed state that over the past 15 years has descended into complete anarchy.

to be honest there is practically nothing the international community can do, except react to humanitarian situations like the present one in goma. the country is so vast and the infrastructure so completely destroyed that any military intervention would have to be on at least the scale of the American invasion of Iraq and even then it is hard to see what sort of government could be cobbled together.

the only chance the Congo ever had was after independence and that was lost in the cold war power struggle and the rise of Mobutu.