14 U.N. Peacekeepers killed in possible rebel attack in Democratic Republic of the Congo - Sensationalist Headlines

[quote]NAIROBI — At least 14 United Nations peacekeepers were killed and dozens wounded in eastern Congo in one of the deadliest attacks on the international forces in years, U.N. officials reported Friday. Heavily armed rebel fighters attacked a forward operating base in a remote part of North Kivu province Thursday night, firing rocket-propelled grenades and destroying at least one armored personnel carrier, U.N. officials said. The firefight went on for at least three hours, and the majority of those killed and injured were from Tanzania, they said. “This is the worst attack on U.N. peacekeepers in the organization’s recent history,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. He called the assault “a war crime” and demanded that authorities in Congo — also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo — bring the perpetrators to justice.[/quote] [url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/at-least-14-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-attack-in-congo/2017/12/08/614d69ca-dc2a-11e7-a241-0848315642d0_story.html[/url]

[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;52959714]He called the assault “a war crime” and demanded that authorities in Congo — also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo — bring the perpetrators to justice.[/QUOTE] I know this is not the time to be making jokes, but Christ does the UN live up to it's reputation of ineffectually simply sending angry letters.

[QUOTE=Zephyrs;52959808]I know this is not the time to be making jokes, but Christ does the UN live up to it's reputation of simply sending angry letters.[/QUOTE] What else can they do? The UN has to respect the sovereignty of member states and other nations, it can't just send troops in wherever it wants to.

[QUOTE=Camundongo;52959830]What else can they do? The UN has to respect the sovereignty of member states and other nations, it can't just send troops in wherever it wants to.[/QUOTE] Oh I know why they do that. There's just a certain irony in the UN once again making demands that they have zero ability to enforce. It's like when North Korea demands tribute or else. Or else what? They'll send more angry letters? Threaten them an embargo that won't have any impact because they're already experiencing a civil war?

[QUOTE=Zephyrs;52960107]Oh I know why they do that. There's just a certain irony in the UN once again making demands that they have zero ability to enforce. It's like when North Korea demands tribute or else. Or else what? They'll send more angry letters? Threaten them an embargo that won't have any impact because they're already experiencing a civil war?[/QUOTE] My dad had to work with the UN a few times during his army career back in the 80s-90s and he literally said "It was a case of you watched people get shot and couldn't even shoot back or get involved."

[QUOTE=Trebgarta;52960274]Yeah haha I wish the UN would invade Congo if the latter refused to pursue the perpetrators. I wish UN could decide to use force against any state, member of UN or not haha.[/QUOTE] Please, by all means tell me where I said I wanted the UN to invade.

The UN should be able to employ force when its personnel are being killed and the host country either refuses or is incapable of doing anything about it.

I always assumed peacekeepers were allowed to actually use force. I can't see a great deal of motivation to actually pay attention to them as a rebel group or whatever if they aren't actually going to stop you from doing your thing.

[QUOTE=Chubbs;52961239]I always assumed peacekeepers were allowed to actually use force. I can't see a great deal of motivation to actually pay attention to them as a rebel group or whatever if they aren't actually going to stop you from doing your thing.[/QUOTE] There's unfortunately too many stories of peacekeepers being unable - and forbidden - to act. I remember reading stories of peacekeepers watching battles taking place literally just a few hundred metres from their base, but they couldn't do anything because they were only allowed to fire back if fired upon themselves. I've also read stories of physical assaults and worse taking place right outside the base gates, but still, they're not allowed to intervene. There seriously needs to happen something. The peacekeepers should be allowed to be much, much more active than they currently are now.

No one seems to have read this part of the article, but the force in DR Congo is one of the few in UN history that actually [I]does[/I] have a mandate to pursue full offensive operations against rebel groups [quote]The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, known by the acronym MONUSCO, is the largest and most expensive in the world, with roughly 19,000 peacekeepers. It has a rare mandate to pursue offensive operations against armed groups, which has resulted in some military victories but also has turned peacekeepers into frequent rebel targets.[/quote] [quote]The U.N. mission in Congo includes troops known as the Force Intervention Brigade, which frequently targets armed rebels. “The mission has a mandate to take offensive action against armed groups, particularly the Force Intervention Brigade, and they were the ones who were attacked. These are units going after the armed groups directly,” said the senior U.N. official.[/quote]