Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:30 pm Post subject: UK troops to Congo? Must be oil in them there hills!
UK 'may send troops to Congo' http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=10560723
Britain may need to send troops to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo if diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the crisis fail, a Foreign Office minister has warned.
Lord Malloch-Brown said that the UK and other European powers could not stand back if the fighting between government and rebel forces erupted again.
His comments came as Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner were embarking on a joint mission to the region to try to bring the warring parties together.
Lord Malloch-Brown said that while the priority was to find a diplomatic solution, contingency plans were being drawn up for the deployment of an EU force to bolster United Nations peacekeepers.
"We have certainly got to have it as an option which is developed and on the table if we need it," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"The first line of call on this should be the deployment of the UN's own troops from elsewhere in the country.
"But we have got to have plans. If everything else fails we cannot stand back and watch violence erupt.
"Britain is currently the so-called standby country which would indeed need to contribute."
Lord Malloch-Brown stressed that the deployment of EU troops was a last option if all else failed.
Nevertheless his comments are likely to alarm British commanders at time when the Army is stretched fighting on two fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq. _________________ 'Come and see the violence inherent in the system.
Help, help, I'm being repressed!'
“The more you tighten your grip, the more Star Systems will slip through your fingers.”
Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 296 Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:32 am Post subject: Cry for help in Congo
If the UK sends troops out there, then, as you suggest, the first question will be whether they are to protect the local people or to protect natural resources. I think it is highly likely that ethnic tensions are being whipped up by those who have most to gain.
But if no-one sends in troops, what happens? We do have UN troops there, but they seem ineffective. Why? Are they as underequipped as the troops in the Middle East? Do they make use of satellite communication to track local troop movements. What is going on there?
I don't know what the solutions are, but as always, we need to establish the facts before we can usefully contribute. Below is a cry for help from the president of the local Esperanto club in Rutshuru who has a horrific tale to tell. Any ideas on how to react would be welcomed.
Cry for help from Eastern Congo Douglas Draper, 2008-11-16 18:10
The Norwegian Esperanto League has received this shocking report from a friend in Eastern Congo.
Thursday, 13 Nov 2008 09:12:20 +0000 (GMT), Ntawu Hubert (one of the Africans to whom NEL sent inherited books last year) wrote:
-------------------------------
Dear Friend, greetings, You will certainly be amazed when you receive this message.
I wrote to you again when I was explaining to you about the wars which are taking place in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today I am again writing to inform you that the present situation has deteriorated in my district in such a way that we are witnessing an large-scale human butchering in my village.
I managed to escape because I took refuge in the woods with my whole family, but many people lost their lives and up to now the murdering of people continutes whilst the United Nations forces, which are supposed to be protecting us appear to be collaborating with those who are butchering us like animals; even animals have a higher value that humans in my village.
They say that the blue berets are warriers of peace, but here it is the other way round. Instead of protecting the population, they are present at the human butchery without reacting. What shame for the international community! What shame for the United Nations. I think that what has happened in my village, RUTSHURU, the United Nations are to a large extent culpable for, because they have not succeeded in protecting peaceful citizens.
I think that the main purpose of the blue berets is to protect and deliver peace in the whole world. Now, what is happening in Rutshuru?
In short, dear friend, I wish to tell you that the present life-situation in my village is very bad, it’s not even possible to live in such an atmosphere. If possible, dear friend, you can help us as much as you are able.
Personally, I am the president of a large Esperanto club which is called VIRUNGA ESPERANTO KLUBO en RUTSHURU. I hope that you will be able to reply quickly to me via this email address.
With friendly greetings,
your NTAWU-HUBERT
--------------------------
We translated this message right away into Norwegian and sent it to the Norwegian Government, the Ministry Foreign Affairs and the UN Association. What more can we do?
Cry for helpo from Congo Posted by Abel Montagut at 2008-11-21 17:19
Terrible, soul shaking. What more is there to do? As with Douglas Draper, everyone who can translate the text to send it to the people responsible in the countries concerned or the territories where there are UN delegations or such. Or send it to newspapers. Everyone who can raise the voice of human rights sufferers. And perhaps first of all to make the message of NTAWU-HUBERT known amongst Esperanto speakers. For my part, I request, if possible, for the editor of Libera Folio to put in a link in my article on Jules Verne (where it is partly about the Congo) an explanitary link to this Cry for Help from Eastern Congo.
Government? Posted by Luiz Portella at 2008-11-22 13:39
What was the reply from the Norwegian Government?
I have some doubts about the effectiveness of this.
What to do? Posted by Luiz Portella at 2008-11-22 13:54
I don’t doubt about the information, but it is not detailed, and so it is possible to have doubts.
The message from Congo came on 13 Nov 2008 09:12:20. Did the attack take place on the 12th? Important: Is it possible to photo anything?
With photos and detailed information you can work with Indy Media and web portals such as terra.com.br, which is one of the main portals in the country and allows anyone to report when there are concrete photos.
Because there are certainly journalists in Congo, and they didn’t disrupt computers, perhaps they didn’t disrupt telephones, and perhaps it’s possible to phone them in the village.
What to do? Posted by Dirk Bindmann at 2008-11-23 19:38
I sent a German translation of the message to a journalist, who is right now in Rutshuru. Perhaps he will try to contact our friend Ntawu Hubert in order to get more concrete information. I also sent him Ntawu Hubert’s email address.
Oh my you don't need to look far lol before things become clearer
Quote:
The Company is continuously reinforcing its Mining operations by bringing more and more areas under development. In next 3 years, the company's Mining Division is targeting a four fold growth.
Through its group companies, SOMIKA has also obtained permission for Mining Research for 27 potential Mining areas. For such massive Research programme, it is likely to get associated with Reliable Foreign collaborators.
This map is based on data from the USGS. The white hachured line represents the approximate Basin outline. Added over the map are lineaments interpreted from DEM data and from Radar data. Circular anomalies interpreted from these data sets are shown in red. Strata pointed out with the letters "A", "B", and "C" are the oldest strata of the Basin exposed in surface outcrop. The strata include Jurassic and Triassic sedimentary rocks. If one subjects this Basin outcrop pattern to "down plunge" map analysis a la J. H. Mackin a hypothesis of projection of narrow NW-SW trending "grabens" beneath the central Basin can be outlined.
The continent he said was quite rich in natural resources like petroleum, bauxite, natural gas etc, with a human potential to mobilize resources for the much needed development.
_________________ 'Come and see the violence inherent in the system.
Help, help, I'm being repressed!'
“The more you tighten your grip, the more Star Systems will slip through your fingers.”
Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 486 Location: Manchester
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:40 pm Post subject:
This mineral may also be a factor.
Quote:
Coltan is the colloquial African name for columbite-tantalite, a metallic ore from which are extracted the elements niobium and tantalum. Mineral concentrates containing tantalum are usually referred to as tantalite. Niobium was called "columbium" some decades ago, hence the "col" half of the term.[1] In appearance, coltan is a dull black mineral. Tantalum from coltan is used in consumer electronics products such as cell phones, DVD players, and computers. Export of coltan from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to European and American markets has been cited by experts as helping to finance the present-day conflict in the Congo, with one aid agency asserting that “much of the finance sustaining the civil wars in Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is directly connected to Coltan profits” [2].
Makes me feel very guilty, sat at a pc with a mobile on the side and a film on in the background! _________________ The Peoples United Collective TPUC.ORG
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