UNITED
NATIONS, March
26 -- In the
wake of the failure of UN Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous in
November 2012
to protect
Goma from the
M23
rebels, on
Tuesday
afternoon the
UN Security
Council
negotiated a
resolution on
the Mission in
the Congo,
MONUSCO, at
the level of
Deputy
Permanent
Representatives.
Troop
contributing
countries like
Pakistan and
Guatemala
wanted clarity
on
what the
regular
MONUSCO
peacekeepers
would do,
versus the
tasks
assigned to
the so-called
intervention
brigade:
neutralizing,
that is
attacking,
armed groups.
The
TCCs would
like the
intervention
brigade to
have a
separate
mandate.
The
losses
suffered in
the Central
African
Republic by
South Africa,
slated to be a
big part of
the
intervention
brigade, would
seem to be
relevant to
the MONUSCO
resolution.
But at the UN
things have a
life
of their own,
even if slow.
(On
that, a Darfur
Presidential
Statement
talked up some
time ago by
the
UK mission was
still being
negotiated
Wednesday
afternoon,
even as
the MONUSCO
meeting too
place.)
Concerns
were
raised in the
Council,
sources told
Inner City
Press, about
whether
Ladsous'
drones, the
bids for which
were opened on
March 18
without any
transparency,
would be
looking for
cross-border
arms
trafficking,
or just arms
trafficking
pure and
simple.
There
were disputes
on the
language about
outside
support for
the M23
rebels, and on
a US proposal
for
re-structuring
civilian and
military
components
that few
understood or
supported.
As the
afternoon wore
on, there were
slightly more
positive
reviews, or at
least
understanding,
of
the idea of
such a
structure. But
it was said
that "even
Western
members
opposed the US
on this."
Unaddressed
by
the Council
was the decay
of DPKO
under Ladsous,
from
lack of
action on
rapes in
Minova by
his partners
in the
Congolese
Army, to
now in
Darfur
allowing 31
IDPs to be
kidnapped
while
ostensibly
under
the protection
of armed
peacekeepers.
If
the UK were to
start a PRST
on that -- if!
-- how long
would it take?
Watch this
site.
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