Three Tanzanian peacekeepers deployed to eastern Congo as part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission were killed by rebel mortar fire this week. Three others were wounded in the attack. Their deaths again raise questions about the capacity of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as...
Today, 11 Nov, we remember those who served, those who fought, and those who died in service, for their country. #RememberThem
I come from a long line of military members, I'll stand in the cold, at the local cenotaph in the village, beginning after 10:30 am.
It might snow, it looks like it?
Long before my Grandfather died, before I was born, my father joined the Army. In the beginning, just the Army, (Ground Pounder, Gravel Tech.. LoL), later remustering to a support trade. (Trades that can be employed at sea, land or air. Admin, Cooks, Comms, etc)
I remember him being away for a year once, in the Golan Heights, as a #peacekeeper. It wouldn't be the only time he went to the middle east for #Peacekeeping duties.
Destroying Hamas is a political objective, not a military one.
Even if Israel claims success after assassinating senior Hamas figures, destroying their arsenal and tunnels, and dismantling their administration, they have not said what they will do the day after “victory”.
The Gaza strip will still be there, albeit mostly in ruins. The population who survive the war will still be there, mourning new losses of loved ones and their homes. And the poverty and other deprivations that fed Hamas will only have intensified.
The national rage, the massing of military might, looked disturbingly familiar to US president Joe Biden, who warned Israel last week:
“Justice must be done. But I caution this – while you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. While we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.”
Even if the #Palestinian#Authority could be pressured or bribed into considering taking control, it is far from clear if they would be accepted, or able to do it.
A government installed by the Israeli military would not be seen as legitimate.
The #PA are already widely resented in the #West#Bank for their weakness in the face of Israeli authorities, for being inefficient, unrepresentative and riddled with corruption.
And though the majority of Gazans were not old enough to vote when #Fatah lost elections to #Hamas in 2007, there is no reason to think they have become more popular.
The only idea floated by Israeli politicians and officers for Gaza’s future, an #international#peacekeeping force, seems rooted more in wishful thinking than reality.
“It seems that the war is going to be very, very #long and we have to take into account the #hostages, the risk of conflict #spreading into the wider region, the #erosion of support and the question to whom we are going to pass #control in Gaza – for example if we have to pass it potentially to some Arab-led #multinational force,” said former prime minister Ehud #Barak.
Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) will leave the country by December 8, signalling a refusal to extend the troops' mandate....
A Kenyan court on Monday temporarily suspended the government's plan to send police to Haiti on a UN-backed mission that aims to restore calm in the Caribbean nation....
President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) says he has asked his government to fast-track the withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to ensure it begins at the end of the year....
💙💛 The Ukrainian Fencing Federation has demanded that Smirnova be stripped of her neutral status at competitions.
The ministry stressed that the list of neutral athletes has already repeatedly included people who act against the peacekeeping mission of the Olympic movement. This time too, the federation said, Smirnova showed support for the actions of the russian army on her Instagram, while performing in neutral status.
Notably, the majority of the UN Peacekeeping troops come from low or middle income countries. The contribution from the Global North, including those that are a part of the Security Council which determines when and where a peace operation should be deployed, remain abysmally low.
UN Sec Gen Antonio Guterres is right to call for a "serious, broad-based reflection on the future of United Nations #Peacekeeping Operations, with a view to moving towards nimble, adaptable models with appropriate exit strategies in place."
Nigerian contingent comprising two officers and 82 soldiers participating in the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea Bissau have successfully returned to the country on the expiration of their tour of duty. DHQ Update: Nigerian contingent comprising two officers and 82 soldiers participating in the ECOWAS...
Heute feiern wir den Tag des Peacekeeping. Motto 2023: #Frauen, #Frieden, #Sicherheit.
Frauen sind im #Peacekeeping unverzichtbar. Vor allem in patriarchal geprägten Ländern haben sie bessere Zugänge zu Frauen & Kindern und können so besser helfen und sie unterstützen. #TdP23 Stellvertretend für viele #Polizistinnen und #Polizisten, die international im Einsatz sind, hat Bundesinnenministerin Nancy Faeser heute drei Menschen für besondere Verdienste geehrt.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Southern African Development Community (SADC) soldier deaths underline concerns over mission (www.dw.com)
Three Tanzanian peacekeepers deployed to eastern Congo as part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission were killed by rebel mortar fire this week. Three others were wounded in the attack. Their deaths again raise questions about the capacity of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as...
Kenya's parliament back Haiti mission despite court case (nz.news.yahoo.com)
Kenya's parliament has approved a controversial plan by the government to deploy about 1,000 police officers to Haiti to help stop gang violence....
Congolese official says East African troops to leave Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by December (nation.africa)
Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) will leave the country by December 8, signalling a refusal to extend the troops' mandate....
Kenya court puts Haiti deployment on temporary hold for two weeks (www.rfi.fr)
A Kenyan court on Monday temporarily suspended the government's plan to send police to Haiti on a UN-backed mission that aims to restore calm in the Caribbean nation....
Democratic Republic of Congo President Tshisekedi seeks withdrawal of UN peacekeepers this year (www.aljazeera.com)
President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) says he has asked his government to fast-track the withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to ensure it begins at the end of the year....
Nigerian Troops Return Home From Guinea Bissau (von.gov.ng)
Nigerian contingent comprising two officers and 82 soldiers participating in the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea Bissau have successfully returned to the country on the expiration of their tour of duty. DHQ Update: Nigerian contingent comprising two officers and 82 soldiers participating in the ECOWAS...