British troops may join aid convoys in Congo refugee chaos
United Nations peacekeepers made their first attempt to reach hundreds of thousands of refugees trapped behind rebel lines yesterday as Britain pressed on with its diplomatic efforts to bring peace to eastern Congo.
The head of the peacekeeping mission in the region gave a warning that his forces were dangerously overstretched on four fronts and begged for urgent reinforcements.
Britain is considering military options, but only to protect the delivery of humanitarian aid as part of a European Union force.
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, called for the UN force to be supplemented but played down suggestions of European involvement, urging a diplomatic solution.
Goma, the capital of eastern Congo, has swollen by hundreds of thousands of refugees since last week's rebel advance to the gates of the city, and a government retreat sent them fleeing for safety. The situation in the city remains desperate, with many having gone without food for days and now braving the front line to make their way back to their homes.
Of greater concern are those the UN hopes to reach today around the rebel-held town of Rutshuru, where tens of thousands have disappeared into the forests after being chased from camps.
Aid organisations have strongly criticised the UN peacekeepers for failing to protect civilians against armed groups, including government soldiers who have raped and killed. “The humanitarian situation here is completely out of control,” Alpha Sankoh, the country director in Goma, said. “Refugees are being deliberately targeted before our very eyes — we cannot allow this to continue.”
Mr Miliband has just returned from a lightning mission to the region with Bernard Kouchner, his French counterpart, and he will present his findings to fellow EU foreign ministers in Marseilles today. The Permanent Joint Headquarters, which has responsibility for planning for overseas missions, is studying what Britain might be able to offer in the event of a formal request from the EU. This could range from a battalion of 500-650 troops to transport aircraft for ferrying aid. The MoD, however, said yesterday that no request for help had yet been made. “But we are, of course, looking at a range of options, should further military support be requested,” a spokeswoman said...
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