M23 vows to capture all of DR Congo, as soldiers and police surrender their weapons in Goma - Polidicks

[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/64284000/jpg/_64284633_64280581.jpg[/img] The people of Goma gathered together to hear from their new rebel leaders [url]http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/11/201211218184314168.html[/url] [quote=AJE]Thousands of government soldiers and police in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surrendered to rebels at a stadium in Goma, the main city in the eastern North Kivu province. Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reported on "extraordinary scenes", as the security officers came to hand in their arms on Wednesday. "[The surrendered officers] didn't have a choice," she said. They were told "they had a choice either to have peace in the city, or to leave the city". The M23 rebel group, believed to be backed by Rwanda, seized Goma on Tuesday, in a development that raised fears of a new, regional conflict. The capture of the city came after days of fighting with government troops. The rebels were also reported to have taken control of the town of Sake, on the road to Bukavu. "The [rebels] arrived an hour ago. Luckily there was no force used. Now they're pretty much everywhere ... The army had already left," Christian Bigebika, executive secretary of an association of local rights groups, told the Reuters news agency by telephone from the town, between Goma and Bukavu. [B]Plans to 'liberate'[/B] Rebel forces in eastern DR Congo said on Wednesday they planned to take control of the whole of the vast central African country after they captured Goma - home to more than 1 million people - as well as an international airport while United Nations peacekeepers looked on. Our correspondent said people appeared to be frustrated with what they see as the UN's lack of action in protecting them from rebel groups. According to a UN official, protesters were throwing stones and burning tires at the premises MONUSCO, as the peacekeeping force is know, in at least three cities on Wednesday. Peacekeepers were on alert and UN staff were re-grouping at secure locations as a precautionary measure, the spokesman said. A spokesperson for the M23 rebels said they planned to "liberate" the country, by moving to the town of Bukavu and then marching on the capital, Kinshasa, nearly 1,600km away. The rebels have previously said they were seeking talks with DRC President Joseph Kabila over the failed implementation of a peace deal that ended a previous rebellion in 2009. "The journey to liberate Congo has started now ... We're going to move on to Bukavu and then to Kinshasa. Are you ready to join us?" Vianney Kazarama, spokesperson for M23, told the crowd of more than 1,000 in a stadium in Goma. [B]Emergency talks[/B] Kabila and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame have met for face-to-face meetings over the conflict in eastern DR Congo, Ugandan officials said on Wednesday. "President Kabila and President Kagame held a two-hour meeting together on Tuesday night," Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa told the AFP news agency, after the meeting in the Ugandan capital. Thousands of residents have fled across the border to Rwanda, the much-smaller nation to the east which is accused of funnelling arms and recruits to the M23 rebels. Senior commanders of the group, who the UN have accused of grave crimes including recruiting child soldiers, summary executions and rape, paraded around Goma on Tuesday, waving to the thousands of people who left their barricaded houses to see them. The UN peacekeepers were not helping the government forces during Tuesday's battle because they do not have a mandate to engage the rebels, said Congolese military spokesperson Olivier Hamuli, who expressed frustration over the lack of action by the peacekeepers. A UN spokesperson in New York said that the nearly 1,500 UN peacekeepers in Goma held their fire to avoid triggering a battle. The peacekeepers "cannot substitute for the efforts of national forces" in Congo, Eduardo del Buey, the spokesperson, said. On Wednesday, the Security Council will review the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in DR Congo. A resolution adopted on Tuesday by the Security Council asked the UN secretary-general to recommend possible redeployment, and possible "additional force multipliers". The resolution approved unanimously by the council imposes targeted sanctions, including a travel ban and assets freeze on the M23 rebel group leadership. But it did not name two countries accused by DR Congo of supporting the rebels: Rwanda and Uganda.[/quote]

What are they even fighting for? I can't find anything on M23's cause.

So why exactly is the UN there? It sounds like they're just standing around watching the battle around them from within their fortifications.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;38545207]What are they even fighting for? I can't find anything on M23's cause.[/QUOTE] It sounds like just a power grab by the leaders of M23. No cause, just a coup.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;38545207]What are they even fighting for? I can't find anything on M23's cause.[/QUOTE] A continuation of the Second Congo War, which happened because the conditions of the First Congo War were never addressed once it ended. Basically Congo needs to get it's shit together because there is something they are doing very wrong.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;38545209]So why exactly is the UN there? It sounds like they're just standing around watching the battle around them from within their fortifications.[/QUOTE] Most likely not directly engaging int he conflict unless human rights are stepped against when they know about it.

But it's already a democracy what more do they want Serious question by the way I know nothing about them

-snip-

[QUOTE=Burgervich;38545361]But it's already a democracy what more do they want Serious question by the way I know nothing about them[/QUOTE] Democratic Republic of North Korea Just because it's in the name doesn't mean it's actually there.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;38545209]So why exactly is the UN there? It sounds like they're just standing around watching the battle around them from within their fortifications.[/QUOTE] [url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2012/1121/Goma-s-fall-Could-UN-troops-in-Congo-have-done-more-to-prevent-it]Apparently[/url] due to a technicality they had no mandate to intervene in Goma. They are authorised to do two things: Support the Congolese Army in battle, and protect civilians. Unfortunately, the Congelese Army fucked off and left so they couldn't do anything. They were ready to intervene if M23 started killing civilians, but they didn't. Before the Army retreated the UN forces were doing plenty of stuff: [quote]UN helicopter gunships flew 17 sorties, firing 500 rockets and four missiles in the defence of the town, the United Nations said on Wednesday in a statement giving its account of the battle. Two South African peacekeepers were injured, it added.[/quote] This is why [url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/congo-democratic-fabius-idUSL5E8MKGP220121120]France is urging[/url] a review of the UN troops' mandate

Should have never let the Belgians leave. [editline]22nd November 2012[/editline] Fucking Third world countries. It's just sad when 5,000 people can take over a capital city.

[QUOTE=Nikota;38546147]Should have never let the Belgians leave. [editline]22nd November 2012[/editline] Fucking Third world countries. It's just sad when 5,000 people can take over a capital city.[/QUOTE] So many things wrong with this post.

[QUOTE=Nikota;38546147]Should have never let the Belgians leave. [editline]22nd November 2012[/editline] Fucking Third world countries. It's just sad when 5,000 people can take over a capital city.[/QUOTE] Shut the fuck up you racist piece of shit, for the last time.

[QUOTE=Zambies!;38546676]Shut the fuck up you racist piece of shit, for the last time.[/QUOTE] Good fucking riddance I say

M23 are backed by Rwanda and other competing african countries. Its a resource war.