Last night on BBC, I caught one of the shows during my rush hour commute
that focused on the idea of MONUC withdrawing from DR Congo. The lines were
open to take calls, and opinions ranged from a 5th year student saying that
MONUC has done nothing and should leave, to other Congolese outside the
country and even someone in Liberia saying, you may not see the positive
effects of UN presence now, but you will feel it when they leave. One person
even summed it up this way (paraphrased): "MONUC may not have turned Congo
into heaven, but it may have prevented it from turning into hell."

The local press has been covering the fact that MONUC will still provide
support to Kimia II, an operation undertaken in conjunction with the
Congolese army (FARDC) that has resulted in more civilian deaths in the east
than prior to its initiation. The FARDC has been accused of massacres since
May of this year. The local press is accusing MONUC of covering up
information related to the killings.

Some people calling in to the BBC show thought that removal of MONUC from
the east or other parts of the country would be the only way to encourage
the government of DR Congo to take responsibility for its security
situation, while others disagreed, pointing out that the country is too big
even for the current mission of 17,000 to cover. This size mission cannot
even cover the entire territory in the east where insecurity still reigns.
With or without MONUC, the government of DR Congo must make moves to bolster
the capacity and effectiveness of its uniformed forces to establish rule of
law.

At least three clashes in the east over the past week have been reported via
Radio Okapi, one between FDLR rebels and Mai Mai, one between FARDC and the
Mai Mai Yakutumba militia, and one between FARDC and recently integrated Mai
Mai combattants.