An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 21 The UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Demo- cratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), established in 2010, is currently the UN's largest peacekeeping mission and has suffered 121 fatalities among its military, police and civilian personnel. The FOB that was attacked was home to the mission's rapid intervention force, which has a rare mandate to go on the offensive. This was the third such at- tack on a UN base in eastern Congo in recent months. As well as the tragic deaths of the UN personnel, the well coordinated and complex rebel operation destroyed two APCs, an ambulance and a truck. The loss in personnel is the most serious suffered in a single day by the UN since 24 Pakistani peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in Somalia in 1993. An official report says that the attack was carried out by suspected militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an extremist Islamist group that has been active in the area, launching a number of bloody attacks on military and civilian targets. Director of the Congo Research Group at New York University, Jason Stearns, describes the ADF as an armed Islamic group whose regime is based on a strict in- terpretation of the Sharia. The group is composed of converts and strong in numbers but is not thought to have significant links to other Islamic extremist groups in Africa or the Middle East. Though a video has recently emerged showing fighters claiming allegiance to Islamic State, it is more than likely that this refers to the group's ideology rather than the organisation itself. In recent months, in an effort to defeat the insurgency, UN forces and Congolese military have mounted opera- tions against the insurgents, resulting in numerous fire- fights. UN peacekeepers have been on the offensive in the region, gradually gaining and securing ground and protect- ing the populace from marauding groups of rebels. Problems in the region stem from a number of rival militia groups that control parts of the mineral-rich eastern Congo enclave. Since the official end of the 1998-2003 war, millions have died, mainly from hunger and disease. Political turmoil also adds to the problem as President Joseph Kabila has continuously ignored calls to step down since his second mandate expired over a year ago. Kabila has ruled the country since his father's assassination in 2001, but with the continued violence in the region, demo- cratic elections have been postponed until December 2018. This crisis has led to a breakdown in law and order, where armed militias in the south and east of the country continually attack government installations and civilian settlements. With elections pending, and possible future negotiations for power within the DRC, armed groups are positioning themselves to control lucrative mineral depos- its. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced as the situation escalates. In a statement after the incident, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unac- ceptable and constitute a war crime." He continued, "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." While the thin blue line continues to hold in the DRC, the future looks bleak. Observers state that the situation is deteriorating rapidly and with UN deaths on the rise, the question of whether the mission will continue is one that must be high on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. UN peacekeepers patrolling past the deserted Kibati village near Goma. © Reuters Remains of 15 Tanzanian UN peacekeepers killed. Democratic Republic of the Congo. MONUSCO mission area.

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