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Marian Wright Edelman: Still Hungry in America
With word that rebels were raping women in remote parts of the Congo, United Nations' officials should pull the plug on the bumbling peacekeeping mission there that costs billions but produces little positive results.
Less than a month ago, there were reports that U.N. peacekeepers couldn't stop a brutal attack by rebels in which nearly 200 women and small boys were raped.
Now comes word that an e-mail sent at the start of the attack said the rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda had taken over the town of Mpofi and a woman had been raped.
The e-mail adds that "humanitarian workers are said not to go there."
Even though peacekeepers were less than 30 miles away, they didn't go to the area until days later after the raping spree.
U.N. officials said peacekeepers didn't know about the rapes until weeks later, so critics want to know what the U.N. knew about the attacks and when it knew it.
Ever since the U.N. began operations in the Congo, observers have complained about corruption, sex abuse scandals and allegations that U.N. workers have collaborated with rebels.
The Congolese government has asked the U.N. to shrink the mission, but it might be wiser to think about pulling out completely.
The U.N. seems to be in way over its heads in trying to bring peace to people who use rape as a weapon and have no regard for human life.
It's no disgrace that the U.N. can't find a solution to the Congo fighting. Calling it a difficult situation is a gross understatement. Spending more than a billion dollars a year in the Congo and getting no results, though, is a waste of limited resources that can be better spent elsewhere.
Comments: (2)
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By: rightorwrong on 9/02/2010 6:52AM
The United Nations The United Nothing are a waste of time, america is the biggest contributior in terms of funding and gets nothing from it is a puppet show for world leaders especially in the arab muslim world to place their demands, the only good thing that has come of the UN is the world health organisation, the UN army are the ones raping women and children, they are not vetted, just like the catholic church they get passed around,to continue raping women and children and young boys, they look the other way all of the time.
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By: poetrysez on 9/03/2010 1:20AM
This country isn't wise nor sympathetic when it comes to picking our battles/ interest. There are places we should not have a military presence in, and there are other places we should have a military presence in. When you mention the Congo I can not help but think about the Rwanda genocide. It was not our battle/ interest...so we walked away :(
Of course we can not fight every other countries battles but we need to...everyone knows what I was going to say ( even our President ).
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