DRC: "Only God can protect us."

by Michelle

Published November 01, 2008 @ 06:27PM PT

Stephanie McCrummen has another great article in the Washington Post--this time, about the abuses against civilians committed by the Congolese national military. (Yet another example of the muddied waters of the DRC's complex conflict--no good guys, so how do you negotiate with a bunch of thugs?)

So what is the military up to now that the rebels have given them on the lam? Looting.

"After giving up their fight against rebel forces, Congolese soldiers resorted Thursday to shaking down residents and the tens of thousands of displaced people here for cash, cellphones and skinny chickens and goats. With this important provincial city essentially surrounded by rebels, the exhausted and now aimless government soldiers roamed the streets looking for liquor, food and money."

Oh, and it gets worse:

"In one lantern-lit neighborhood of wood-slat houses, two soldiers went door to door asking for dollars and cellphones, shooting one boy when he refused, according to residents of the neighborhood. After robbing several houses, the men ordered three residents -- a doctor and two women -- into an empty house and shot them."

People fled to Goma, the capital of North Kivu, to escape the incredible violence in the region, but are now at the mercy of an under-payed and ill-disciplined army. McCrummen reports that the UN is patrolling some areas, but the people have lost all confidence that the force can protect them.

"In the crowds milling in the streets near shuttered shops, some people said they did not know who would protect them. 'The population is protecting itself,' said Richard Bulambo, 29, a medical student who was helping watch over some shops to prevent looting. 'There is no security.'"

"Only God can protect us," another man said.

The UN mission to the DRC, or MONUC, expressed frustration over recent criticisms of the force's inability to protect civilians, as reported in the UN Dispatch:

"We cannot have a soldier behind every tree, in every field, on every road and in every market; it is impossible."

"And there are a lot of trees in Congo," the Dispatch adds.

In fact, MONUC has one peacekeeper for every 123 square kilometers under its purview. Talk about a thankless job.

For more on the challenges facing MONUC, click here.

[Photo from BBC.]