Well, as far as I know they were supposed to have elections a few months ago that their president postponed, and theres still some occasional flare ups in the far east of the country.
After its 'peace' in 1999, only lots of child warriors, racial tensions, rebel violence that makes Iraq look like Seattle, gang rapings, and persistent murder... I'm not sure, but I think this is tied to what happened in Rawanda a few years ago. The UN needs to be sent in, but nobody seems to want to raise there hands... the only ones who have kinda done something are the French. Sad that we call ourselves liberators and we ignore genocide. Darfur is perhaps an even more concerning humanitarian crisis that needs international attention. Fuck the pope. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/03/07/congo10258.htm http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LEW262965.htm http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/congo/ http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/drc/Drc005.htm http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/05/drc052103a.htm http://hrw.org/doc/?t=africa&c=congo
Indeed. I couldn't have put it better myself. Wheres the liberation for Sierra Leone, Liberia, Eritrea, Chechnya etc. War crimes are being committed all around the world and nothing is being done about it. Makes me fucking sick.
Interesting how the French government seems to be the only nation with a democraticly dedicated outlook towards Africa. The French have been key in the past 60 years throughout west Africa, and it seems to me the Americans can learn quite a bit from Chiraq. If we sit idly in DC twiddling our thumbs as we spend 300 billion in a innefective Iraqi reconstruction effort, and watch half of Africa flare up--in desperate need for UN assistance, then not only are we Americans seeting a poor example for the rest of the world, but we solidify the rest of the worlds utter disgust with us. I cant stand this anymore. We sat by in Congo, Somalia, Cote D'Ivoire, Eritrea, throwing money at Tribal warlords who embezzled the funds and spent there "self-exile" drinking Bordeaux in a Londonian Cafe. Bolivia anyone? I dont understand how the Unite States, or the UN can get away with this ignorance. Koffi Annan and Bushs Cabinet need to pack their bags or begin setting the example their positions require. (End Rant)
The French really aren't white knights on the whole thing either, aside from looking at their past history in the region, which was the root of a lot of this disturbance, they also have the third most expensive military in the world, and don't do much besides send out the FFL... mostly foreigners. Any part of Africa that has this kind of strife was a colony of the French and the British that was hastily droped, and had the wests attention diverted from. Africa has been systemically pillaged by Europe over the past three hundred years. In the Sudan, the US was trying to get a NATO force into Darfur, but the efforts fell flat, and the US seemed to lose its momentum... as if we had a problem with unilateralism. The EU might actually be going inside now, but their making many concessions to the Sudanese government, which seems ludicrous as their militias have been responsible for the ethnic cleansing. heres an editorial sugesting that WHO figures are innacurate and the Death toll maybe closer to 400,000. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12485-2005Apr23.html I for one, don't have a problem with unilateralism... the US should devote this century to wiping genocide from the face of the Earth. If Bush cares so much about freedom, he should be doing less grandstanding and more action. The US and its allies have the power to stop this, making ammends to the third world, but untill we act more boldly, we might as well be commiting genocide ourselves. Murder because of inaction is still murder.
Don't forget the relatively successful UK intervention in Sierra Leone. That's the funny thing - if the UK (or France) goes in and intervenes successfully, absolutely nobody cares. And the US remembers the lesson of Somalia - when it comes to stopping famine or hating America, hating America wins. If someone's human rights are abused, and America or Israel isn't to blame, does anyone care? Obviously no. Where are the "mass mobilisations"? Where is the "day of action"? Where are the worldwide protests?
Lodui, you exactly right. It almost seems as If Bush is more of a media icon than a president. I guess theres plenty of examples one can bring up where UN, EU, or US aid was required--but I must admit so much bureaucratic red tape is thrown into the mix. Some believe the United States likes to stick to African proplems like AIDs, solely because we as Americans can relate. How many Europeans or Americans can relate to genocide. WE see it in movies, but always fail to grasp our minds around the true horror behind it. One man is killed its murder, one million its not worth the news. Its a really fucked system we have going. I guess its our duty to change it in 20 years. And as far as France goes. I dont see how the end effects of global imperiliasm is their fault 150 years later. If the English and French packed up and never looked back, (the dutch for instance) than theyd not only be at fault, but they would be worsening the situation. The French and Engllish unilateral intervention is helping, regardless of how the press perceives it. The French troubles in Cote D'Ivoire is a diffrent story all together.
