Troubles have been intensifying in eastern Congo around two trouble spots.  In the broad area of Ituri province south of Bunia and potentially close to Nyankunde hospital, thousands have been forced to flee for safety.  On 23 August, the Congolese army launched an offensive against the Ituri Patriotic Resistance Front (FPRI), led by a former army officer who goes by the name of Cobra Matata and which has been present in the area for a decade.  This area has also suffered from the presence of a  Ugandan Muslim group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) who are opposed to the Ugandan government but seek shelter in an area between Beni and Bunia just across the border from Uganda.

My best guess is that in December 2011 we were close to either the FPRI or a Mai Mai group when we came across a UN convey on the road to Nyankunde.  https://bensincongo.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/on-our-way-to-nyankunde-and-the-un/

Following a UN Troop Carrier shortly before they jumped out

Following a UN Troop Carrier shortly before they jumped out

UN Soldier With Rifle Aimed, south of Bunia

UN Soldier With Rifle Aimed, south of Bunia

Our primary contact at the orphanage in Butembo has commented on experiencing disruptions from war nearby, but I have not heard any details of what this entails.

Further south in Goma, capital of North Kivu province, the UN (i.e. Monusco) continues to demonstrate its ineptness.  For months, the UN has been developing a fighting force called an “intervention brigade” to deal with the M23 Tutsi rebels.  This force is compiled from African contributing nations and is designed to be significantly pivotal for the UN, as it has been given authority to proactively use aggressive force to clear out the M23 rebels.  The underlying intention is to build an alternative to NATO (there currently is none for an effective military intervention) and this could be the role model.  Nine months later, however, the M23 remains in an untouched position immediately outside of Goma.

There has recently been uncoordinated fighting in and near Goma which has resulted in many casualties.  Per the BBC, one doctor  reported seeing 82 dead bodies in one day.  The BBC is also reporting that local witnesses are accusing Uruguayan UN soldiers of shooting two civilians, apparently continuing the UN tradition of aggravating the local population.  Perhaps this really is the start of aggressive UN action against the M23.  More likely, it is the sad continuation of tragic events in Congo with faint hope for imminent improvement.