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  • Helicopter gunships, soldiers attack rebels in Congo

    Helicopter gunships, soldiers attack rebels in Congo



    With Indian Air Force helicopter gun- ships killing hundreds of rebels and infantry combat vehicles pun-ching through rebel positions, India’s largest-ever deployment of soldiers on foreign soil has taken on a muscular new turn in the heart of Africa.

    The Democratic Republic of Congo's internal conflict — whose resolution is a test case of strong global intervention — has led an Indian brigade under the United Nations mission (known by its French acronym MONUC) to rework its peacekeeping strategy from a velvet glove to an iron fist.

    The first signs of the changed Indian posture were visible late September in Masisi in the collapsing eastern province of North Kivu, the epicentre of the conflict between rebels and government troops. UN North Kivu brigade commander Bipin Rawat, who learnt his trade in Kashmir and India's northeast, ordered Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters of the IAF to strafe positions tightly held by the private army of rebel general Laurent Nkunda.

    The underutilised Russian-made IAF gunships fired a salvo of rockets that killed hundreds of Nkunda's rebels. The offensive sorties allowed ill-equipped and ill-trained Congolese government troops drive back rebels who had come menacingly close to seizing Masisi, which is on a vital road axis some 80 km from North Kivu’s capital Goma.

    Indian Army infantry combat vehicles, used only for a cosmetic show of force thus far, rumbled into life with machineguns blazing and cannon punching through rebel defences in the flashpoints of Tonga and Kanyabayonga where Indian posts are located.

    “In the past one or two years, some degree of passivity has seeped into our operations,” Brigadier Rawat told the Hindustan Times. He said UN rules allowed the use of force in specific scenarios.

    “We’ve decided to fight with our equipment,” said Rawat, who took charge of the Indian brigade this August.

    There are now more than 4,500 Indian troops with the UN’s costliest peacekeeping mission in the Congo, a sprawling (the size of western Europe), dangerous and notoriously unstable country formerly known as Zaire. It was here that heavyweight boxing champion Muhammed Ali knocked out George Foreman 34 years ago in a world-famous bout called “Rumble in the Jungle”.

    The Congo is home to half of all Africa’s forests and has enough diamonds, gold and copper to make it the continent's richest country. But it has come to represent the worst of Africa: most of its 60 million people live on less than $1 a day and its women and children have suffered almost unimaginable sexual violence.

    It was first ravaged in the late 19th century by Belgium's King Leopold, who ran it as a personal colony. Later, one of Africa’s worst dictators, Mobutu Sese Seko — backed for strategic reasons by the West — famously squandered public money on Concorde charters to Disneyworld and million-dollar shopping sprees to Brussels and Paris.

    After Seko was deposed 11 years ago, the Congo descended into bloody patchwork of war and butchery that claimed the lives of 3 million Congolese and at its height embroiled nine countries. To growing criticism of its irrelevance, the UN then launched its mission to stabilise the Congo, with 2006 seeing the first democratic elections in 40 years. The Congolese turned out in millions to vote in Joseph Kabila as president.

    Rawat said his message is that Indian troops “will walk the extra mile to protect the Congolese people”, whose mistrust of MONUC has grown manifold in recent weeks. “It is not a pretty picture to see an Indian soldier, tested in the hottest of fires, hunker down in a jeep even as unruly crowds pelt stones,” said Rawat. “It’s happening here. Locals are asking what difference has MONUC made.”

    That changed when an 8,000-strong crowd recently took shelter at a 10 Assam base in Masisi when the Congolese army traded heavy machine gun and mortar fire with the rebels.

    The crowd clapped as IAF attack helicopters fired rockets. Rawat said his soldiers would resist “the temptation to go over the top at all costs”.

    That’s because all rebel groups are signatories to a January 2008 peace accord, and the key mission of troops is to bring them to the negotiating table.

    India has a long history of deploying troops in the Congo: the first Indian blue berets (the colour used on UN duty) served from 1960 to 1965. It is the only UN mission where an Indian soldier — Captain G.S. Salaria — was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. He died in 1961, trying to save the Katanga province from falling to rebels.

    Helicopter gunships, soldiers attack rebels in Congo- Hindustan Times
    After what the UN did to General Jaitley, I don't even know if its worth it. Koodos to General Rawat; but i'm afraid, the UN likes a passive force much more; one which stays in the country just to fly the UN flag, not one which actually does something.
    Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
    -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

  • #2
    Kudos to the Brigadier.
    I hope and pray that our craven government will for once back him up no matter what the UN idiots may waffle about.
    For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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    • #3
      Originally posted by bolo121 View Post
      Kudos to the Brigadier.
      I hope and pray that our craven government will for once back him up no matter what the UN idiots may waffle about.
      AFAIK all ops get cleared by the home govt. I mean big picture engagements like this.
      "Of all the manifestations of power, restraint impresses men the most." - Thucydides

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      • #4
        Yes in theory, but you and I both know that if the UN kicks up a stink, they'll hang him out to dry
        For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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        • #5
          Originally posted by bolo121 View Post
          Yes in theory, but you and I both know that if the UN kicks up a stink, they'll hang him out to dry
          Donno. During Gen. Jaitley's time as I recall the gov. threatned to pull out if the UN tried funny business. In the end they came to some strange compromise by saying that force levels were going up and a more senior officer was required and he left after a few months.

          Ban-Ki Moon seems like a more sensible chap than Kofi though( At that time there was talk about Kofi's men being neck deep in the illegal diamond trade. The whole Gen Jaitley thing was after all about Nigerian involvement in the illegal diamond trade.) So things may well play out differently this time around.

          On the whole I guess I agree with you. If the UN does kick up a stink then we should skip the warnings part this time and just pull out.
          "Of all the manifestations of power, restraint impresses men the most." - Thucydides

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          • #6
            Good, show those rebels they will not be tolerated, hopefully they can get the locals back 'on side' as it were. Now if only the corruption in the Congolese government and army could be sorted out.....

            P.S. Does anyone know what kind of equipment and general structure the rebels have, I read a piece about the different groups a while ago, but I can't find it.
            Nulli Secundus
            People always talk of dying for their country, and never of making the other bastard die for his

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            • #7
              Kudos to the General.

              Adage to the proverb, it's a hell of a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. As for any UN retaillation, that depends on Dehli. If India stands behind her General, then New York can take a p!ss.

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              • #8
                Congratulation to the Indians for taking on the rebels and kicking some butt while doing it. I hope that out of this grows future operations to stabilize the Congo and wipe out the rebels for good.

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                • #9
                  Jim Ray Reply

                  Quit necro-posting. This thread laid dormant for three years until you resurrected it from the grave. You also owe us an introduction in the New Members forum at the top of the homepage.
                  "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
                  "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

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