In April 2009, I noted that UN forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo mounted an anti-rebel operation codenamed “Rock of Steel”. This week, after mass rapes near a UN base in the DRC, the UN mounted operation “Shop Window” which is aimed at “reassuring the population and demonstrating its efforts to use all available resources to fulfill its mandate to protect.” As I’ve noted before, the UN presence in the Congo is in a mess, and the shift in codenames may symbolize its loss of confidence.
Watch out for news of “Operation Cuddly Kitten” in the DRC shortly.
