Previous | Next :: Boy in Smoke : Goma : Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo Border | November 21, 2012, 8:26 pm

The M23 guerrilla army said to be supported by Rwanda has taken the strategically important town of Goma in the DRC on the border with Rwanda. The UN peace keeping force said it would join with Congolese military forces to resist the M23 advance but in the end did nothing. Yesterday M23 fighters walked into the town unopposed, I even watched TV pictures of them passing the white armored vehicles of the UN Peace keepers. UN action or more precisely their inaction reminded me of the lack of proper decisive orders and action undertaken by UN forces that I have witnessed all over the world in the past. I particularly remember the UN force in Bosnia how it seemed to always be in this position of not really actually acting to protect territory or the population. Hopefully the new rulers of Goma will not be too terrible. Tragically this region of the DRC has known nothing but war for 20 years, I shot this image above in Goma during the time of the Rwandan genocide since that time Goma has been continually ravaged by conflict as neighboring countries and their proxy armies and rebel commanders fight it out for control of the mineral wealth of this blighted region.

Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

www.jezblog.com