Fighting flares in east DR Congo - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#1055749
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6184236.stm

Dissident soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have attacked army positions in the east of the country, the government says.

The attacks, close to the Rwandan border, ended months of relative calm in the region.

The army said troops loyal to dissident general Laurent Nkunda bombarded the town of Sake for several hours.

United Nations officials said thousands of civilians had fled their homes to escape the violence.

The fighting comes amid heightened tension in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, where the former rebel leader, Joseph Bemba, is challenging his defeat in last month's presidential elections.

Rebels 'repulsed'

At least two soldiers are reported to have been killed by in the attacks, in which the dissident troops used machine-guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

Army commander Col Delphin Kahindi, speaking from Sake, said 15 people, including eight civilians, had been wounded in five hours of clashes in which his troops repulsed Mr Nkunda's fighters.

Sake is a small town about 25km (15 miles) west of the provincial capital of Goma.

Maj Ajay Dalal, a spokesman for the Indian UN peacekeepers in the area, said rebel forces appeared to be pulling back into the bush

"For now, the firing has stopped. We are deployed all around and are supporting the Congolese army but we haven't had to engage yet," he said.

Mr Nkunda left the army and launched his own low-level rebellion after Congo's war ended, saying that the country's transition to democracy was flawed and had excluded the minority Tutsi community.
User avatar
By dannymu
#1055753
Isn't there a UN peacekeeping force in this trouble-making country?
User avatar
By Zagadka
#1055760
Isn't there a UN peacekeeping force in this trouble-making country?

1) I'm not sure, but certainly not a large presence.

2) DRC is the seat of the AU... one of the last sub-Saharan African nations I'd call "troublemaking". You should like them, they are taking the security of the region in their own hands. Unfortunately, I don't think they are nearly ready.
User avatar
By Ombrageux
#1055893
1) I'm not sure, but certainly not a large presence.

They have the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world (16,000 troops) trying to stop Africa's WW1 from leading to Africa's WW2.

I'm rather pessimistic.
By Shade2
#1055910
I heard there is some metal located there they make for cell phones. Will prices of cell phones increase ? If it is true this metal should be secured. I don't want to buy my next cell phones for higher costs.
User avatar
By Ombrageux
#1055916
I heard there is some metal located there they make for cell phones. Will prices of cell phones increase ? If it is true this metal should be secured. I don't want to buy my next cell phones for higher costs.

:eh:
User avatar
By N'Djamena
#1055940
You should like them, they are taking the security of the region in their own hands. Unfortunately, I don't think they are nearly ready.


They are not. Given internal problems and neighbouring Rwanda's beligerance toward its European benefactor, France, they are in a bad spot at a bad time.
By Shade2
#1056081
DumbTeen-I found it, and it is named Coltan, used heavily in cell phones. I hope world community is doing what it can to preserve the supply of that vital resource for the world market.
Coltan is used in DVD and Playstation. Disturbance of this supply would have negative effect on prices for average consumer such as myself..
User avatar
By Kiroff
#1056095
DT wrote: :eh:


Shade2's just demonstrating the humane side of capitalism.
User avatar
By Minsk
#1056099
Disturbance of this supply would have negative effect on prices for average consumer such as myself..


keep it flowing then, but its not an important enough resource to regime-change DRC.
User avatar
By Andres
#1056101
Kiroff wrote:Shade2's just demonstrating the humane side of capitalism.
Indeed. Apparently, it's ok to make someone sell to you at the prices you want, as long as all that happens in another country.
By Shade2
#1056115
Apparently, it's ok to make someone sell to you at the prices you want

I want normal prices. War doesn't make normal prices.
I think that is obvious.
User avatar
By Andres
#1056151
I want normal prices. War doesn't make normal prices.
I think that is obvious
What are normal prices? But what I think is obvious is the callousness of seeing this conflict in how much will it cost you to buy a new cellphone, more so when probably your older one still serves its intended purpose.

People are dying, dont do a thing. Prices of new cellphones rise, now that warrants invasion of a country and taking control of its resources. :roll:
By Shade2
#1056156
But what I think is obvious is the callousness of seeing this conflict in how much will it cost you to buy a new cellphone, more so when probably your older one still serves its intended purpose.


It's no longer sparkly and shiny and females aren't interested in it anymore. It has lost its purpose. I need a new one.
And I fail to see why should I be wrong. I am not a member of former colonialist society-my humanity tells me I want Congolese people to enjoy prosperity.

People are dying, dont do a thing.

People are dying every day. I can't stop that. Once money from the conflict stops, there will be nothing to pay for it. Peace will come. Both sides profit.
User avatar
By Andres
#1056168
It's no longer sparkly and shiny and females aren't interested in it anymore. It has lost its purpose. I need a new one.
Its purpose is to allow you to communicate long distances with other cellphone holders and with land telephones. It has not lost its purpose if it still can do that.

And I fail to see why should I be wrong. I am not a member of former colonialist society-my humanity tells me I want Congolese people to enjoy prosperity.
Whether you are a member of a former colonial power or not, does not seem to deter you from proposing a modern colonial enterprise. You seem to want cheap phones more than you want prosperity in a far off country.

People are dying every day. I can't stop that.
If you, or more properly the countries you want to go secure that metal source, cant do anything when people die, why should you (or they) magically have the ability to secure the metal sources in such a far off country?
By Shade2
#1056174
Its purpose is to allow you to communicate long distances with other cellphone holders and with land telephones.

Nope.You are mistaken. That is only one function of cell phones. Other is to show social status and attract admiration and sexualy valuable females.
Comparison-if utility was the primary function of clothes, we all would dress like Mao and there would be no fashion.
does not seem to deter you from proposing a modern colonial enterprise. You seem to want cheap phones more than you want prosperity in a far off country.

That is normal human nature, that seeks self-interest.
My self-interests also helps other people. Nothing wrong with that
why should you (or they) magically have the ability to secure the metal sources in such a far off country?

Securing mines and airfields and isolated zones of control is far more easy then stoping whole country from killign each other.
User avatar
By Andres
#1056194
Nope.You are mistaken. That is only one function of cell phones. Other is to show social status and attract admiration and sexualy valuable females.
Put a diamond in your ear and buy some pills on the internet that promise to increase your penis' size. The function of the cellphone is to make calls, everything else is superfluous.

Securing mines and airfields and isolated zones of control is far more easy then stoping whole country from killign each other.
Not by much, specially considering that you need more than just some airfields to bring it out, otherwise you will get the high prices that you dread more than the death of people. Again, it just shows Kiroff's point, the humane side of capitalism.
By Shade2
#1056229
The function of the cellphone is to make calls, everything else is superfluous.

Nope.It would be like saying that the function of clothes is to just protect the body and provide warmth.
Cell phones just like clothing are part of fashion, social status and sexual attractivness.
User avatar
By Citizen J
#1056249
The function of the cellphone is to make calls, everything else is superfluous.
Do you not gargle with lavirus, primp with brill cream, shave with 12,000 flying blades, wear gardashe, carry 90lbs of 'bling', wear $300 tennis shoes or flash the latest and greatest electronic device that glows in the dark and goes bleep bleep bleep?

Are you really willing to risk total sexual unappealingness? :lol:
By Shade2
#1056253
nd goes bleep bleep bleep?

Bleep bleep bleep ? That sounds very outmodish and old.
I would prefer it would sing new Timberlake song while I shave.
shave with 12,000 flying blades, wear gardashe, carry 90lbs of 'bling', wear $300 tennis shoes

Oh that is cheap and indicates new-rich. I prefer silky elegance smoothered in products hand-made from ivory by African children dear sir. Only the finest :D

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