Finally on mission

So finally the gods were good to me and let me go on mission. Was away three days, with about 5 hrs driving each day on roads which could have been called excellent if it wasn't for the short sections of mud and scary-looking bridges. Good chance to practice my 4x4-driving skills though. We went together with the UN-agency responsible for building the police housing as well as fixing the roads, so we stopped every now and then to inspect the road-works (and the scary-looking bridges, mostly after we'd already past them though).

Totally fell in love with the country, is so beautiful! First day we drove through Kahuzi-Biega, a national park where there's gorillas. Unfortunatly it's full of guerillas too, so don't think I'll venture deeper into the djungle there. Was great to drive through - and am sure I saw a monkey in a tree (sorry, internal Erlandsson-joke).

Spent the two nights in Bunyakiri - a quite big town located up and down the hills. We stayed in the parish - one of the few brick houses in the town. It was great - really simple but very nice. 20 dollars all in - a bargain!

Am hoping for another mission next week. By air though, so will see if my luck holds...

Soldiers drying laundry in Bunyakiri

Temporary police office. I think it's a great idea to build in canvas. Especially the detention cells...

The church in Bunyakiri

My favourite bridge (not). Didn't think about it the first time I crossed, but going back it was a bit scary. It's temporary though, so, inshallah, there will be something more sturdy in the future...

The boys didn't let me drive through this 'bridge', and am glad I didn't push for it. The pakis driving after me (our escort) got stuck...

Jinxed

So I'm not really allowed to write about what I'm doing here, but what about what I'm not doing? I've been here how long? 1,5 months? And I still haven't been able to go on a proper mission. Olivia thinks I'm jinxed, and I'm starting to believe her... I've planned to go on five missions - three have been cancelled and two were never approved. I've also prepared my first ever helicopter flight four times (only one connected to one of these missions), and they've all either been cancelled or replaced by a plane. This weekend was the worst. I had prepared to go to Tshonka - totally out in the bush and I was really excited to get out there. I borrowed a camping bed and packed all my stuff (which was a lot, but only half of the head of mission who was also going out for the first time). We were supposed to go on Friday. But something went wrong with the arrangement of the flight, and after much ado they rescheduled it to saturday 1030. When we reach the airport they tell us the flight is scheduled for 1230. But then the weather in Tshonka apparently turned bad, so they cancelled it. So after4,5 hrs wait we can do nothing but go back to Bukavu (1,5 hour bumpy ride...). The funniest thing was that I got a 'bon voyage' messagethis morning, and learnt that operations had resceduled the mission to today, without telling us who were going. Great.

Well,I got my next mission confimred today. Heading north by road next week. Inshallah. Maybe car works better for me than heli, but I wouldn't be surprised if the long since due rains start this weekend and make the roads impossible.



The great Antonov - so we met again (though it should have been heli). The Russian propeller plane/caravan I first went with to Goma.



Note the pilot, flashing his hairy chest and blingbling necklace.

Vapen & Ammunition

There's loads of guns in DRC. And loads are in really bad shape. FARDC are together with MAG, an NGO, making an effort in demolishing old weapons so they don't end up in enemy hands and so they don't harm the person behind the gun. Our de-mining friends took us for a tour at the FARDC Bukavu HQ. Old weapons were piled in shacks waiting to be identified and taken apart. A creepy sight... When we asked if they weren't worried about the rains through the rusty corrugated iron roof the general asked if MONUC can't help them with that.

A Kalashnikov, anyone? Not the anti-tank mines in the bottom right.

We're shown how the old AK-47s are marked and how therefore their origin can be traced (they hadn't seen any Swedish ones yet).

The cutter. They can cut up to 300 weapons per day. In Bukavu there are only 4000 weapons to demolish so doable. In Goma, however, the number is tenfold.

FARDC receiving training on how to use this little weapon (could be Swedish, didn't ask). The general who gave me permission to take the photo said it's used against the enemy: soldiers and vehicles, the lot. I beleive it was made to take down air craft...

...and play

Beautiful Lake Kivu


Birthday party for a very happy 1-year-old


Delta - not only security guards!

Visit to the Riverines - the Uruguayan battalion outside Goma - with Sharon (MONUC) and Maria (Swedish UN-police)

Soon we'll be real African mamas:)

Work...

JMT Bukavu


Our office (just above the red cross)

JMT-meeting. Diakite from Mali is our great teamleader.



In the office. Demotivated after a weekend with the other Swedes.