Last week, two BSF troopers from Rajasthan, members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Congo, were killed by protestors.
Do we need to lose lives fighting in a country not ours, in a war that is not ours and for a cause that is not ours, asks Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd), who served in the UNPKF in Congo.
On the 28th of July, the Border Security Force contingent operating in the peacekeeping operation in Congo lost two soldiers in a ghastly attack by Congolese protesters.
This attack was, apparently, aided by armed rebels in the town of Goma, located on the eastern fringes of Congo bordering Rwanda.
Along with the two BSF head constables, three other United Nations peacekeepers lost their lives.
In 2006-2007, I was part of the UN peacekeeping mission, posted at the Indian Air Force attack helicopter unit in Goma.
We had 8 helicopters deployed; four each in Goma and Bunia, the trouble spots even then.
We also had a contingent of IAF Mi-17 helicopters as well as some helicopters from Bangladesh and Pakistan who flew alongside us.
Our task was well cut out. Wherever there was trouble, we went flying in pairs orbiting overhead the melee on the ground in what was called 'Show of Force' missions.
And when we swivelled our guns around showing intent, the warring factions were forced to disengage.
We also escorted helicopters transporting troops from one disturbed area to another.
When they had to pick up casualties from the war zone, we were there to give them cover to ensure that they were not ambushed by the rebels in hiding.
We always flew with our machines loaded with rockets and guns since we never knew when we would land in the thick of action.
Sometimes, our aircraft came back from these missions with bullet hits, but, thankfully, we did not suffer any casualties.
We were also thankful that the rebels were equipped only with rifles and not anti-aircraft weapons; had they been equipped with those, our mission in Congo would have been different!
I remember the time when our unit fired the first shots at 'live targets' when Goma was under threat by a warring faction of the Congolese army.
The cauldron in Congo has been simmering for too long.
The UN first moved in troops in the 1960s and the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo has been almost permanent in the country since then.
While some might argue that the UN has been able to restore some peace and stability, why hasn't there been lasting peace?
Why do uprisings keep taking place with regularity?
Isn't the force of UN troops enough deterrence? What about the Congolese government?
What about the interference from neighbouring not so friendly countries who stoke fires?
The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo has boasted of the maximum number of troops since it recommenced in the late 1990s.
The troops come mainly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh while other countries contribute civilian staff, military observers, policemen, volunteers and NGOs.
Today, almost 17,000-18000 personnel work at the UN mission in Congo.
I remember the Chinese building roads and bridges during our tenure in Congo. In return, the Chinese were allowed to take the wood back to their country.
An extremely rich country in mineral wealth, especially in the eastern region where we flew and lived, the lawlessness, crime and smuggling rackets in Congo has been realistically depicted in movies.
We were aware of the diamonds, gold, uranium, cassiterite, lithium, cobalt, copper being mined in large quantities and siphoned out of the country illegally.
It was quite obvious that many countries (some who were part of the peacekeeping too!) were interested in these spoils.
It was for selfish reasons that the war cauldron has been on the boil for as long as possible.
In the middle of the forests, small aircraft landed on cordoned off roads and picked up these metals, flying them back to Goma.
And at the dilapidated airport at Goma, waited bigger aircraft to fly out the metal overseas.
Without doubt, there were huge profits involved for all players, and therefore, corruption in high places was rampant.
It was clear that government officials turned a blind eye to what was happening, and this seems to be the scheme of things even now.
It is not surprising therefore that unrest continues in the Congo to this day.
What is surprising is that the local population has now joined the protests against the UN in the country.
These protests seem to be backed by armed groups which are really breakaway factions of the Congolese army.
These groups, in our time too, fought to stop the illegal drain of resources from the country.
Congo is a very large country, difficult to administer largely due to political instability, poor infrastructure of roads and communication, a very poorly equipped and paid army. A lot of the rebellion is fed from outside Congolese borders.
The UN has spent too many years in the country and enjoys a fair status in its governance. It also has a say in the political processes in the country, a fact that not many will openly admit.
The local population has always had this feeling that the UN (read the Western powers that control the UN) has had a hand in the exploitation that has taken place in Congo over the years.
Rapes, looting and the rule of the gun has prevailed in the troubled spots of Beni, Rutshuru, Butembo, Sake and Goma for years now.
It is also felt that the UN forces have been mostly 'reactive' to the situation whereby lives have been lost.
A stern hand aka armed action, as mandated by Chapter 7 of the UN which allows the use of 'force' to maintain peace has not really achieved its intended purpose.
With lives of UN peacekeepers lost, the UN will now spend a fair amount of effort in keeping themselves safe .
A fact that most of us tend to overlook is that only troops from Third World countries get 'used' for the armed response; over time, a majority of the 250 odd troops killed in action in Congo have been from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
One wonders how the Western world would react if their soldiers were brought home in body bags.
In our part of the world, lives come cheap and the reactions to lives lost in Congolese crossfire attracts a few reactions for a short time, usually forgotten in the myriad other issues that plague us.
Although the external affairs minister has declared that the perpetrators of the BSF troopers' killings will be brought to justice, one wonders how this will be achieved.
It is left to the powers that control and take decisions on operations in Congo to make sure that the fighting troops are provided a safe environment and that such incidents do not recur in future.
And how are these operations in Congo controlled? Who decides what actions are to be taken? The decision makers at the Un headquarters in New York, of course.
Our hearts go out to the families of those killed. But do we need to lose lives fighting in a country not ours, in a war that is not ours and for a cause that is not ours?
Air Commodore Nitin Sathe retired from the Indian Air Force in February 2020 after a distinguished 35 year career.
The author of three books, you can read Air Commodore Sathe's earlier articles here.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
