WELCOME DRONES AND FOL BASE IN THE CONGO!

On November 27, 2012 and December 9, 2012, I published well-thought opinion-articles on the Foreign Policy magazine and on this blog urging the United Nations to take actions towards ending those Rwanda-fueled stupid, primitive, and stone-aged wars in eastern Congo. I also suggested, among many things, the implementation of an aerial interdiction program to fight contraband of some stolen goods from the Congo (diamonds, gold, etc.) that can easily be smuggled by air. Based on my experience in Latin America, I've  also advocated for the installation of a Forward-Location Base (FOL) to monitor eastern Congo and terminate those very stupid wars no real Mensch is pleased with!

Things have been moving in the right direction since my several political writings on this blog and on the Foreign  Policy Magazine (see my previous posts). I am pleased that the United Nations is now considering deploying drones in eastern Congo. In fact, the Boston Globe wrote on January 8, 2013, under the title UN wants to use surveillance drones in the Congo :

“(…) The diplomats said France, Britain, the U.S. and other Western countries back the deployment of drones in eastern Congo, saying it would enhance the ability of peacekeepers to track armed groups and help protect U.N. forces from ambushes. U.N. officials say drones could also be useful in other African conflicts and (…) The exploitation of Congo’s mineral resources continues to exacerbate conflict and instability on the ground.

The M23 rebel group is made up of hundreds of mainly Tutsi soldiers who deserted the Congolese army in April. A U.N. group of experts reported in November that M23 is backed by Rwanda, which has provided them with battalions of fighters and sophisticated arms, like night vision goggles (...)”

http://www.boston.com/news/world/united-nations/2013/01/08/wants-use-surveillance-drones-congo/jtDP9Vn1zHbHWJDcym6ErI/story.html

I have not been preaching in the desert, and I welcome this new move by the United Nations. We need drones and an FOL base in the Congo to fight extremists and their sponsors. It's one of the many steps that still must be taken in the right direction to protect the people of the Congo and hold accountable the suppliers (Rwanda) and recipients (M23) for their atrocities against the peaceful people of the Congo. 

Congo sits over hundreds of trillions of dollars in natural resources (see http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39986&Cr=democratic&Cr1=congo#.UO0IxxGFzkc), and we understand that undemocratic China has made huge progress securing contracts with the current government of the DRC and has made giant steps winning the hearts, minds, and souls of Congolese, building infrastructure here and there,  and engraving a new script in Congolese minds about the West and what the West stands for in the Congo. History repeating itself: winners (this time with excessive cash in hand) always rewrite history!

Now is time for Realpolitik, not a time for romanticism with an insignificant, unessential, and overcrowded piece of land perched, like a parasite, on a flank of giant Congo.  

We Congolese face our own challenges and long for and work towards a dictatorship-free Congo. Our most powerful weapon is the ability to communicate and convey a clear message to the entire world through all types of media. We do not believe in those primitive and childish wars sponsored by Rwanda in eastern Congo, and I will always applaud any initiative to eradicate those atrocities in eastern Congo and their sponsors. 

Again, I welcome the use of drones in eastern Congo to put an end to those stone-aged and stupid wars. The use of drones must be complemented with an FOL base.