Janvier

Let me introduce you Janvier. This nice fellow is an EC driver and - like so many Congolese - a resourceful person. In this particular event, it was even more funny to see him.

Late December, as I was in Ituri, some heavy fighting started in Bunia. Quite unusual since MONUC (the United Nation force in Congo) is present in the city. Shooting is very close from where I stay and I start wondering what this could be. The reflex is to contact the security officer and check the situation. As I head towards the terrace, I encounter Janvier. Still with his huge smile, he's suddenly decided to wear our bullet proof jacket, a helmet and keeping nervously his handset in his hands. He was in Bunia during the 2003 fighting in Ituri, and I thought he would not really be moved by this shooting. Though he keeps smiling, he takes things seriously and keep his new attire on him.

Shooting continue. It's more than a year I go to Bunia and this never happened. After half an hour, we eventually find out what is happening exactly. The military have not received their end-of-the-year bonus. The rumour has it that it was 60 US$. Needless to say that this is no small amount for military earning 10 US$ a month. As they have not received anything, thinking their superiors stole the money (a national sport in Congo), they start looting the city, shooting in the air to frighten Monuc and prevent them from intervening. As always in these cases, violence ensues. Some innocent men are killed, women raped, and lots of private goods stolen. And we are in the middle of a city, supposedely protected by an international force. This will last the whole night and eventually stops at around 6 am.

There's a long way to go before Congo has a disciplined and accountable army. And the country won't be completely stable until then.