I mentioned earlier that the UN was discussing sending more troops to Bunia to help in the chaos there. This has been passed and 1000 more peacekeepers are being sent to ... do nothing.
You see, "peacekeepers" don't have a mandate to actually intervene. So 1000 more soldiers are going there to stand about with their baby-blue hats and white tanks and watch the continuing massacre.
Two other points of surrealism struck me too.
One of the major points of the resolution was to condemn the killings in the area. Not the killings of the 400 civillians. The killings of the UN personnel posted there to do nothing.
Secondly, the troops being sent will be from Nigeria, South Africa and Pakistan. That strikes me as a little silly. Of the three, South Africa is the only country that is not in its own political turmoil. And South Africa hardly has a long history of stability. But even more strange was that the UN asked Uganda and Rwanda to contribute troops! Hello? Anyone at home? For those not on the same page, both nations have been involved in the civil war, in a variety of roles, from mercenaries to invading troops, for several years. Rwanda has a history of the same sort of tribal massacres that are happening in Bunia. And Uganda ... well, where to start. Anyways, Uganda has had troops fighting in Congo until fairly recently, contributing to the problem. How can the UN be so completely clueless?