U.S. Special Forces Now in Central African Republic

BANGUI, Central African Republic - U.S. Special Forces troops have set up a base in the Central African Republic as part of their regional hunt for fighters from the Ugandan-born Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) group, military sources said.

"The deployment of this contingent, the size of which is unknown, was carried out very discreetly with Ugandan military aircraft," a Central African military official said Dec. 19 on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. troops set up a base in Obo and are expected to coordinate their efforts with local government forces and Ugandan soldiers.

U.S. President Barack Obama in October announced he was sending 100 Special Forces troops to Kampala, Uganda, to help Uganda track down LRA chief and international fugitive Joseph Kony, who has wreaked havoc over four nations for more than two decades.

Besides Obo, the U.S. forces also have a forward base in South Sudan. They began deploying in Uganda earlier this month.

The rebels currently number several hundred, a fraction of their strength at their peak but still include a core of hardened fighters infamous for mutilating civilians and abducting children for troops and sex-slaves.

The majority of U.S. troops will be based in Uganda while a smaller number will be based in jungle areas in neighboring countries to advise regional armies tracking the rebels, US officials say.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Kony took up arms in the late 1980s, initially against the Ugandan government.

The International Criminal Court has a warrant against Kony, one of the continent's most wanted men.

Driven out of Uganda, the guerrillas have since scattered across a vast region of the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, recruiting fighters from those nations over the years.

The LRA emerged from the frustrations of Uganda's marginalized Acholi ethnic group against the government, but its leaders have since dropped their national political agenda for the narrow objective of pillage and plunder.

Demands to Grow for U.N. Peacekeepers, Says Outgoing Chief

U.N.ITED NATIONS - Growing international instability and economic crisis are placing greater demands on U.N. peacekeeping even as it tries to wind down operations, the outgoing head of the 120,000-strong global force said.
Alain Le Roy highlighted the "overwhelming good" that U.N. peacekeepers have brought to troublespots from Haiti to Ivory Coast, East Timor and Sudan, while also acknowledging some bad and ugly cases.

"I think there will be more instability in the world," he said. "We are not the ones asking for an increased number of troops - never."
Conflicting pressures on the U.N. missions were evident during an interview with Le Roy from the New York office he leaves this week.
On one side of the building was a demonstration by Sudanese calling for U.N. intervention in the troubled state of South Kordofan. On the other, Haitians demanded an end to the U.N. "occupation force" in their impoverished nation.
The United Nations wants to close its operation in East Timor next year and start drawing down forces in Liberia, Ivory Coast and Haiti.
But it has also just started two new missions with 4,200 Ethiopian troops heading for Sudan's troubled Abyei region and 7,000 to go to the new country of South Sudan.
"There are other countries where we might be called," the French diplomat added. Planning is already underway for an observer force for Libya, if a ceasefire is ever agreed.
However "the trend is clearly that European defense budgets are globally decreasing," Le Roy said, so their ability to help in faraway conflict zones will become limited.
The United States also relies on U.N. power.
"Ask President Barack Obama," said Le Roy. "He is very happy because we bring stability to so many countries where he cannot go. If we left the Congo, who else would go there? If we left the Sudan, who would be there to protect the population?"
The U.N. Security Council is adding to the demands with its growing calls for U.N. forces to better protect civilian populations.
"No army force in the world is trained to protect civilians. They are trained to make war, to be warriors. To protect civilians is a very specific task," said Le Roy "The Security Council says in one sentence in its mandate that you have to protect civilians under threat.
"That simple sentence raises a lot of expectations amongst the populations and the countries concerned," he continued.
So the U.N. is pressuring the 120 countries that contribute to the 15 peacekeeping missions around the world to change their training and ethics.
U.N. forces must be more "robust," the Security Council has ordered. That needs numbers, skills and equipment, according to the U.N. under-secretary-general.
That is why attack helicopters were needed in Ivory Coast this year to destroy weapons being used by Laurent Gbagbo, the president who refused to stand down after losing an election.
U.N. forces are also forced to get tougher in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Le Roy said.
Pressure has also mounted for the U.N. to overcome what Le Roy acknowledges were three major peacekeeping failures of the 1990s - at Srebenica in Bosnia, the Rwanda genocide and in Somalia - when troops could not or would not act.
"There were three big tragedies, three failures and since then we have changed tremendously," he said.
"We have reformed a lot to become more professional. It cannot be compared even to how we were five years ago."
Le Roy has had to tell U.N. commanders they must stay at their post on threatened bases, even when they were at risk.
"For me, there cannot be the Srebenica syndrome. This was the case in the Ivory Coast, Sudan. In Darfur, there were times when peacekeepers were threatened," he said.
"If I accept evacuation, the whole credibility of peacekeeping would be lost. Each time I said no. In each case it was not easy."
The U.N. has also had to confront cases of rape by peacekeepers.
According to U.N. figures, alleged attacks have dropped from 127 in 2007 to 84 last year, and Le Roy dismissed the perpetrators as "black sheep."
"Every army in the world has black sheep. We have 84 cases for 120,000 peacekeepers. That is 84 cases too many. But we have improved," Le Roy said, demanding credit for the good work done ending strife in Liberia and East Timor hailed by the countries' leaders.
"Perhaps some people in Haiti would like us to go. But who brought stability to Haiti? It was our operation. Who avoided the chaos after the earthquake? The peacekeepers," Le Roy said. "In Haiti, we declared war on the gangs in Cite Soleil.
"There may be some politicians who say we want to be a sovereign nation, but the populations at risk never say 'we want you to leave.'"

Congolese Women Raped by Indian Rapists in UN Peace Missions

                You must have heard the story of a thief who had gave up his bad habit aftermarriage of his sons. After his death, his sons and daughter in laws gathered to distribute his possessions. His possessions were locked in trunk and he always used to hang its keys by his neck. When his sons and daughters in law opened the trunk, they were shocked to see items of their household that were stolen time to time in the past. Precious ornaments, crockery, and cloth that were part of dowries of daughters in law, all were there. Loss these items had created storms in the family. Many accusing fingers were raised. Secret of their father was revealed that although he had quitted theft but to satisfy his habit, he used to steal items from his own house.

                Same is the situation of Indian army. UNO had accused Indian army in writing of rape of Congolese women by its officers and soldiers. Previously such accusations were raised by Kashmiri and Indian minorities but were never listened to. Nobody sympathized innocent women of Kashmir and minorities whose honor was targeted deliberately by Indian army personnel. International media withheld such news of rape and murder. When such incidents resulted into general unrest and curfew, still international media highlighted different reasons for these. 

                The recent example of such incidents is that of Nilofer and Aasia, two girls in Shopian, Indian Held Kashmir, who were abducted by Indian soldiers while gathering wood near their home. Both girls (Nilofer had a baby back in home) were gang raped inIndian army camp and later murdered. Their bodies were thrown near their home. People protested against such heinous crime and Indian Held Kashmir had to go through curfew for six months. Tens of young Kashmiri including children were killed by Indian police during protests. Western median made no mention of such happening to the world. Even western media did not felt any moral deficiency when Indian homeminister accused Kashmiri mujahideen for this incident and arrested many innocent youth from that area.

                Even UNO has never paid any attention to accusation made not only by Arundhati Roy, a famous author, but other women organizations about rape of minorities particularly Kashmir women being practiced by Indian army as state policy. UNO sent  Aasma Jahangir, a favorite of Indians, for a fact finding mission to obscure the human right violation in India (you will observe Asma Jahangir in happiest mood at Wahga Border carrying flowers for Indians on the eve of their Divali or when she returns back from pilgrimage into India). She has always sponsored Indian interests against that of Kashmiri women.

                However, UNO has become the affected party to such incidents for the first time. A question can be raised that why so? UNO always send soldiers in war torn countries to protect its people and particularly women. UNO and its armed missions have played a dominant role in this regard. The troops from different nations are deployed to war affected countries after due considerations of local customs and conditions. The mission of such contingents is to establish peace, distribute food, medical, services, and promotes sense of protection amongst women so that they can start their normal life. If UN contingents are involved in moral and social crimes (prevention of which is sole purpose of their deployment) than you can well imagine the general condition. Such situations will benefit criminals and make life hell for peace loving people.

                The nations send their best military contingents as part of UN mission to increase their influence. Case of Indian army is different. Indian government often use their military might against its provinces to quell separatism and control minorities. Sexual abuse is used as a weapon. That is why Indian soldiers are good at this. On 15 July 2008, hundreds of old women gathered in front of Indian military headquarters at Kangla Fort, Imphal part of State of Manipur and protested naked against Indian armyatrocities. They were carrying placards inscribed with slogans against Indian army’s policy of sexual abuse and gang rapes. These women (including well educated, professors and doctors) had been victim of Indian atrocities in some part to their lives. Their only crime was that the men of their family had either refused to accept occupation of Manipur by Indian central government or were sympathizers to separation movements. These women were chanting slogans, “Indian sexual beasts, come and rape us, we are of the age of your mothers, come and rape your mothers”. Indian soldiers at the central gates were unable to decide either to open fire on these women or arrest these naked women. Women from spectators covered them with their clothes. This protest was result of Indian atrocities against a professor of famous Ghana Priya Women’s College, Imphal. Her son had joined United Liberation Front of Assam so she was raped by Indian beasts as a punishment. Details have been printed by “Tehelka dot com” Current Affairs in August 2008.

                 However, such incidents are not new for Indian media. Few years back,Indian army gang raped girls from Mao Separatist and than threw dead bodies intrenches. Such scandals have been noticed many times. Indian media has decided to ignore such incidents. However, Sohani Laxmi, a lady journalist from Gwahati, Assam has published full details of an incident in that high caste Hindus of Gwahati forced a seventeen year old girl walk naked for eight kilometers. This was published at “JharkandBlog” with a title of “Adivasi Girl”. Hundreds of such heinous incidents can be viewed on line. One of the sorry aspect of this whole issue is that incident of Mukhtiaran Mai is broadcasted throughout the world. On the other hand, the so called civilized nations and their media tacitly choose to ignore Indian policy of sexual abuse and rape.

                It is the result of such neglect on the part of local as well as international media that Indian soldiers failed to desist from sexual abuse in UN mission of Congo. The Indian soldiers exploited the war torn women of Congo. These incidents surfaced when some unmarried Congolese mothers reported this to UN headquarters in Durla, Congo for upbringing of their children. The looks of these children were Indian instead of African. After investigation by UN institution for women, it was revealed that Indian soldiers fathered these children. Fifty-one of such cases were registered. Victims of Indian sexual abuse reached into hundreds. These girls were raped either through coercion or under deceit of food items and Indian made cosmetics. Their war-ravaged condition was exploited. It was a disgrace for UNO as an institution because it is the legal and moral responsibility of UN to ensure protection of these Congolese girls. The matter was reported to UN authorities in New York. Another such incidents was reported to UN authorities by South African home ministry in that a Lt. Colonel and two Majors of Indian army were arrested raping a woman while on leave in tourist city of Plettenberg Bay. They were arrested by police and jailed. They were released under diplomatic laws and repatriated to India. 

                Indian brigade commander in Congo accused Pakistani soldiers of suchviolations to avert the blame. UN authorities ordered DNA tests. The DNA samples of these pre-marital babies resembled to those of officers and men of 6th Sikh Battalion of India which was part of UN mission in Congo in 2008. UN authorities informed Indian government and asked for legal proceeding against these officers and soldiers. Indian efforts of accusing Pakistani soldiers were refuted due to DNA test. It also helped trace the actual fathers of these babies that included 12 officers and 39 non-commissioned officers and soldiers of Indian army.

                As usual, Indian government took policy of denial and neglected UN report and demands of punishment against these army personnel. It was a set back to UN’s good image. In 2010, when an Indian battalion was ready to embark on UN mission in New Delhi, UN refused to accept them. UN has made it clear that until the time Indian government does not punish those culprits involved in sexual abuses in Congo, UN will not only repatriate all Indian contingents but also take legal actions against them by itself.

                Indian government could not ignore large amount of UN payments and its repute. UN threat has worked and at last a committee comprising a Brigadier and two Colonels have been tasked to investigate 6^th Sikh Battalion in Uttar Pradesh (battalion is stationed at Chandigarh). UN has reported involvement of Indian contingents in sexual abuse not only in Congo but also in Sudan, Liberia, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. Other than that, Indian soldiers have been involved in smuggling of narcotics and weapons.

                 

Now question is; will UN be able to force India to punish its soldiers involved in human right violations including sexual abuse not only in Indian Held Kashmir but in Congo as well. I am sure that Asma Jhangir, Najam Sethi and Indian influenced so called progressive authors, poets, journalists, politicians, industrialists and traders will raise hue and cry that we should not involve ourselves in such issues. Dear readers, I protest against these Indian atrocities on three reasons:

Ø  One, world is a global village, it is the moral responsibility of people to raise their voices against atrocities in any part of the world;

Ø  Two, Indians tried to blame Pakistan for their wrong doings;

Ø  Three, India is continuing its policy of sexual abuse and rape of Kashmiri women as a weapon.

Every man and woman is morally bound to protest against such atrocities. We must protest against Indian aggressions and atrocities no matter somebody likes it to not.