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Aimless Soldiers Plunder in Congo
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Though U.N. soldiers patrolled some on Thursday, people expressed little confidence in the largest peacekeeping mission in the world, saying it had not done enough to protect them, either.
"MONUC ran away" on Wednesday, one young man said, referring to the 17,000-member mission by its French abbreviation. "Only God can protect us."
Sitting behind his desk at Goma's military headquarters, Congolese Col. Etienne Mbunsu Bindu -- with a glamorous poster of himself on the wall -- said morale was good among his soldiers despite their retreat a day earlier. He denied that any of his soldiers had behaved badly, though he conceded the army had some issues.
"We are trying to reorganize from past conflicts," Bindu said, referring to back-to-back civil wars fought mostly in the east. "But I can say our army is strong."
Despite his assurances, the safety of Goma's population of 600,000 seemed mostly at the mercy of Nkunda, a charismatic figure whose rebel soldiers are accused of war crimes and who admires President Bush, Gandhi and Thomas Jefferson.
After fighting his way to the edge of Goma on Wednesday, Nkunda declared a unilateral cease-fire and then called for direct negotiations with the government of Congolese President Joseph Kabila.
Jendayi Frazer, assistant U.S. secretary of state for African affairs, met with Kabila in Kinshasa, the capital, on Thursday, and a Rwandan delegation was also expected. It was unclear whether or how Kabila would negotiate with Nkunda or what sort of arrangement might be discussed for establishing security.
Kabila has not yet addressed people in eastern Congo, where he campaigned on a platform of restoring security and where his popularity has declined sharply. He has a monumental humanitarian crisis on his hands, as about 250,000 people have fled the fighting since August.
By Thursday afternoon, thousands of people who had fled to Goma on Wednesday had decided to head back to their villages about five miles north. Many had spent the night sleeping outdoors.
"We are returning -- this is my third time to come and go," said Venansia Mitondeke, who was hauling a big bundle up the hill to her house. "If we die, at least we will die at home."
