Is protection a mirage?

摘要

As the gun-smoke cleared, the victorious Congolese rebels turned to encounter a terrible new enemy. With grim precision, 50 French soldiers advanced down Bunia's main street on June 7th, tropical sunlight glinting on their chic matching shades and first-world weaponry. Aghast, the militiamen stood aside. Or perhaps they were simply exhausted, having just fought a six-hour battle in the derelict centre of Congo's northeastern capital. As the battle raged, a storm of bullets had swept the main UN compound, trapping thousands of refugees inside. A dozen civilians had been killed or wounded in the crossfire; 20km (12 miles) from town, 80 villagers had been reported massacred. The French troops, who had arrived in Bunia the day before, supposedly to prevent such slaughter, were confined to barracks, without orders to intervene.