Will peace-keepers make Ituri safe?

Sep 14, 2003

Lolo Bosuo is not sure whether it is worth starting up his business again. Ever since the equipment in his Internet café was looted by one of the countless militias that romped their way through Bunia last May, he has wondered whether there is any point in rebuilding his livelihood only to watch it

By Tim Cocks
In Bunia

Lolo Bosuo is not sure whether it is worth starting up his business again. Ever since the equipment in his Internet café was looted by one of the countless militias that romped their way through Bunia last May, he has wondered whether there is any point in rebuilding his livelihood only to watch it disappear again.

But he says he will try. “I am starting up again in the same building,” he says, gesturing to four brand new computers in the corner of a big empty room next door to Bunia’s main depot.

“But I am unsure. There is a lot of insecurity in the town. The main street here is quiet, but there is still killing, even half a kilometre from here.”

Bosuo is one of thousands of Iturians in Bunia who have been watching with trepidation as the last of the 1500-strong French-led peace-keeping force for the town wave their goodbyes. Called in at the beginning of June to bring order to Congo’s war-torn provincial capital, their mandate expired on the first of this month, leaving the job to UN’s Second Mission in the Congo (MONUC II), made up of 4,000 peace-keepers mainly from Bangladesh.

For the people of Bunia, this marks another new phase in their uncertain future. Unsure about what to expect next, Bunia’s 150,000-odd residents are getting scared, but their fears may be misplaced. MONUC officials point out that the transition has gone smoothly. There was no fighting just before the handover, as there was when the French-led force took over.

“A number of the militias are surrendering their weapons, ” says Maj. Alani Nizar, the chief of operations for Bunia.

Yet in spite of these successes, there are signs that some of Ituri’s armed groups are simply biding their time.

Last week’s attack on Fataki, formerly a stronghold of Thomas Lubanga’s Union des Patriotes Congolaise (UPC), by Lendu militia groups sent shivers down the spine of the UN mission. Observers say the town is now deserted.

Their biggest worry is the proximity of Fataki to Bunia. With only 60km of dusty road separating the two towns, an aggressor controlling Fataki could easily launch an attack on Bunia itself.

MONUC’s chiefs are also aware that Ituri’s militias the Hema and Lendu, are regrouping with a view to seizing Bunia.

“The UPC has stopped our convoys on many occasions,” says Nizar,
Yet MONUC II officials say they are well equipped to repel any attacks on the town.

“As you know, unlike the former mission, we are now under the Chapter 7 mandate,” observes Nizar. “We have two fully operational MI25 attack helicopters with orders to survey and to shoot if necessary.”

But this may not deter the militia leaders. “These armed groups, the UPC especially, are going to want to test MONUC II,” says Philippe de Bard, the chief political affairs officer for the MONUC operation. “They will be hoping it is weaker than the French multinational force. They think the language barrier between the Congolese and the Bangladeshi troops will cause confusion which they can exploit”.

Many Bunia residents agree. “I have no English. They have no French. So what happens if I try and tell them that my brother is being killed in the road?” asks Lolo.
MONUC II have been at pains to show they have this aspect covered. “We are very sensitive to this issue of the language barrier,” explains Usman Dabo, of the head of the mission’s Kampala office. “This is why MONUC has a number of translators in the field as well as a special Francophone unit to serve as a link.”

Dabo thinks language concerns however, are overplayed. “The first ever UN peace-keeping force was in Congo. That was in the 1960s. None of them spoke French – they were mostly English-speaking Ghanaians. But they were a success.”

Whether or not MONUC II will be a success remains to be seen. One thing however, is certain: the coming months will be the ultimate test.

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