Congo: Another brilliant result of "peacekeeping"

One doubts the Liberals, NDP and BQ will pay any attention to this example of "peacekeeping" in action:

Congo teetered on a return to all-out civil war today after supporters of the incumbent president and his main election rival fought gun battles on the streets of the capital, Kinshasa, for the third day running.

The European Union rushed some 400 reinforcements to the riverside capital to bolster a UN peacekeeping force and prevent more fighting while calls for an immediate ceasefire were brushed aside...

Britain’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo was caught in a gunbattle on Monday as he visited Mr Bemba to try and broker a face-to-face meeting with President Kabila.

Along with 13 other envoys and top UN officials, he was forced to hide in the cellar of Mr Bemba’s residence for several hours.

"The ambassador is fine and working today along with other countries to organise a ceasefire," an embassy spokesperson said.

The group, which included William Swing, the head of the UN’s 17,500-strong peace mission in the country, was rescued by a heavily-armoured UN column...

The elections cost around £300 million to organise in a country larger than Western Europe, but with virtually no roads. The UN mission, currently its largest in the world, costs more than £500 million a year.

Diplomats and senior officials are desperately trying to broker an end to the current crisis, but privately admitted the planned run-off was now highly unlikely.

More here.

Another take:

Bongo bongo bongo

I don’t wanna leave the Congo

Oh no no no no no

Bingo bangle bungle

I’m so happy in the jungle

I refuse to go…

Mark C.

Posted by markc at August 23, 2006 10:51 AM