MY DAYS IN THE 1st INFANTRY DIV. RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCES / Mes jours à la 1ère Division d'Infanterie Forces Déploiement Rapide

I will soon blog on my travels to Rwanda -to see for myself the horrors of inhumanity that occurred there. I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR…! / Je vais bientôt bloguer sur mes voyages au Rwanda, -aller vois pour moi même l'horreurs de l'humanité qui s'y sont déroulés. JE N’ÉTAIS PAS PRÉPARÉ POUR...!

Les Milles Collines / Land of a 1000 Hills

 

UNDERCOVER OF SUNDAY MORNING'S MIST... COPS OF KINSHASA / SOUS LE COUVERT DE BRUME ... FLICS DE KINSHASA

KINSHASA TENTATIVE D’ENLÈVEMENT

KINSHASA KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT

COP UNDERCOVER… OF KINSHASA MORNING MIST /  FLIC INFILTRE… SOUS LE COUVERT DE BRUME MATINALE DE KINSHASA

 

This was my very first time in Congo; I came to Congo on an official assignment for CELTEL. But coming off my experiences in other African countries I was very much on my guard, but the CELTEL protocol team re-assured me that there was nothing to worry about in Congo and I was safe. Purely by coincidence they informed me that random ID checks were routine proceed by undercover policeman dressed in civilian clothes.

I arrived my hotel, checked in and pretty much didn't worry about anything (I was assured that there was nothing to be worried about "I was safe and secure")

Sunday morning:

At approximately 7am I decided to take a walk... I wanted to experience the streets of Congo, just take a look around the neighborhood. While taking my pleasant peaceful walk, I noticed a car parked in an unusual location... there were no other cars parked on that side of the road. It appeared that this car would have had to drive over the sidewalk to get to where it was stationed "very unusual I might add"

I then began to see that they were occupants in the vehicle. I began bearing slightly to the right to avoid passing directly beside the car. The car was an older model Mercedes C class.

As I walked past the car the occupant at the wheel commanded me to halt and I stopped halted... Was the manner in which he said it that persuaded me to stop in my tracks.

Conversation went like this

Man: we are police 

: May I see your passport?

Initially I started speaking in French to them, however being a bit skeptical I moved to English, this to slow the process and throw them off a little

Man: can we see your passport?

I stated you’re in civilian attire… how do I know you’re police as you say, and asked them to show me their ID's first (all 4 of them had Kinshasa police photo ID's with them)

 He responded by saying, we’re undercover police

Hum this rang a bell, this is exactly what Celtel protocol had warned me about.

In any case I decided to continue to use my tactical measure of speaking English to throw them off guard and confuse them a little, and slow down the whole interrogation process down.

Me: my passport is back at the hotel

Man: oh you must have your passport with you at all times, so get inside the car and we'll drive you over there

I refuse stating it's just there you can follow me… or one of you may accompany me while you drive the car over there. They were clearly irritated by reluctance… to immediately obey a ‘policeman’

: This can go the easy way or the hard way he said… your choice

(Signs that something was amiss) I decided to go the hard way...

I saw that they were armed with night sticks and handcuffs, however no guns were visible at that particular moment.

A few questions I asked myself:

1. Firstly why did they not get out of the car?

2. Why did they not handcuff me in public?

3. Why did they permit me to continue to give them the run around, as opposed to getting out and quickly subdue me?

4. Why so many threats but no action?

5. I would later learn that two German nationals had been taken 2 days prior by a group of 4 men , they were taken about 30km’s out of town robbed stripped and released, but not killed

6. If I had not been ‘setup’ sort of speak by CELTEL protocol I would not have stopped on their demand… or even given them the time of day

He was speaking very poor English, so at least that part of my plan was working, and he demanded again that I get inside the car, but I refused.  The one seated at the rear of the car got out… positioning his door open and tried to ‘sandwich’ me in between him and the open door. I was like "hotdog in light bread" I kept on sliding’ out of his grip... Earlier as I rounded the car as the driver had told me to do to get to the only English speaking individual they observed me noting down the car plate number.

Alas!!! People started coming out into the streets.

There was a Traffic cop/warden who arrived at his post about 100 meters away and began directing traffic, I tried to whistle to get his attention but my mouth was so dry nothing came out. I started talking louder and louder but I did not run, I believed the assailants to surely be armed and I did not want to risk being shot in the back or head. (In-fact I didn't want to risk being shot at all) There were hand cuffs and a night sticks in the car as well, so I didn't want to take chances.

I was drawing attention, and soon after, the one trying to sandwich me jumped back into the car, the driver threw my ID card down on the ground and they sped off

I returned to my hotel and the hotel staff called the police. The chief of police came asked a few questions of the incident that took place... I gave him all the information I had (plate number, names in the ID cards and descriptions of the 4 men). And after a few days of investigations, the 4 men turned out to be "off duty police officers" They were caught and were also identified as well by the 2 German nationals.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY STROLL THAT TURNED OUT TO BE!!!

WHAT A HOLY SERVICE IT TURNED OUT TO BE

LA PREMIERE TENTATIVE SUR MA VIE AU NIGERIA

 

I was staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja. And I was a bit disturbed about the inequality between the room rates and the salaries of those who cleaned them, so I decided to move out of the hotel and go to another, I also did some research and found to my dismay that that a room in Sheraton Lagos was as expensive and in some cases more expensive than a room in Sheraton New York and to my sickening dismay the wages of those who cleaned them was not even a 3^rd of what the New Yorker Sheraton employee earned.  (These people were being exploited for services being offered) And I wasn't happy about, so I moved out to a small local hotel n Egbeda

It was a smaller hotel, nothing too fancy, but their hospitality was great and they had the most wonderful tasty cat fish there... you get to choose the one you wanted right out of the pond (they refer to it as "POINT AND KILL")

I changed hotels on Wednesday, and after checking in, I decided to go to the pool side to have a drink.  While I was having my drink I noticed a young tall man going round my table in circles... eventually I think he gained a little courage to talk to me and asked to join me... I said it was fine, and soon after we were having a conversation... late into our conversation, he invited me to church on Sunday and offered to send me a driver to bring me there... I accepted just so he wouldn't bug me any further.

Every day the young man would come and 'check on me', and would suspiciously always ask if I was still going to be around on Sunday, and then ask if I would come to church with him... (My God given Intuition told me there was something amiss) Every day he returned to let’s say… "Check on me" and would still asked the same questions...

On Friday he came to "Check on me" and told me he would send a car for me, but I declined and told him I would take a bike/okada instead. On Saturday, he came to the hotel again and wanted a definite confirmation to know if I would be joining him to church or not. I told him I was absolutely sure that I'd join him to church the next morning, but I wouldn't be taking a bike/okada anymore cos I didn't want to mess up my suit, so I suggested that he'd still send the car to pick me up.

The conversation went like this:

 Young man: "Are you absolutely sure to join me for church service tomorrow morning?"

Me:  "Yeah!! Of course I will, and by the way send that car… don’t want to soil my suit -after all."

That evening I was a bit uneasy and had a gut feeling the young man was up to no good. So I packed some change of clothes in a plastic bag and casually walked out of the hotel telling them I'd be back in a bit. I said "see you later... see you in a bit" (but I wasn't coming back at-least not today or tomorrow)

A week or so prior I had met a family in the neighborhood… but yet quiet some distance away, so I took a bike/okada over there...  I asked to stay the night with them... and they happily agreed to accommodate me. In appreciation of their kind gesture and hospitality I of course bought food and drinks for the family that night … they really appreciated it and by all appearances we all had an enjoyable evening together.

Next morning around 9am –right on time, the girl from the clothing boutique phoned me to say….

"In God’s name don’t come back"….

 I replied: I know…

How many are they?

She said: I counted 6, they're armed…. and they’re looking for you.

 I asked her: are you safe dear?

She replied I believe so. She said I’m flat on the floor behind a counter…

I told her stay there…. We’re on our way.

I asked the father of the house on how to alert the police…

He responded saying he’d take care of it.

The assailants placed all the guest of the hotel flat on the ground around the hotel swimming pool… taking all their money jewellery and whatever else of value.  When they didn’t find me they bludgered the young boy who’d sold my hide to death with beer bottle, several blows to the head but I assume they didn’t shoot him as the shot would have been heard throughout… 

The police had set up their deadly ambush just outside the hotel entrance/exit. 4 were killed upon exiting the premises, another about 100 yards up the street and the 6^th lived to tell the tale as I have.

WHAT A HOLY SERVICE IT TURNED OUT TO BE!!!

Hi, tomorrow I'll try and bring you the Nigeria experience as I promised during the week.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE CONGO - IL ÉTAIT UNE FOIS AU CONGO

MY CONGO WAR EXPERIENCE 
AVOIR VECU LA GUERRE AU CONGO

After gaining a certain amount of 'ground' and experience on the African terrain, I began working for CELTEL and they came to considered me to be their man for Africa *wink* they saw me as one who landed on his feet running as soon as I 'dropped' into Africa, anywhere, anytime, any country and under any circumstances, from war in the Congo to the, and harshness of desert life of Niger... the Sahel. As soon as I landed I got the job done and I got out.

In 2001 I boarded an Air France flight which was destined for Kinshasa DRC, no sooner than we had landed the captain announced "we are just refueling and getting the hell out of here" (war had broken out in Kinshasa so we had to leave fast). I told the flight crew that I wanted to get down, but they refused to open the doors. Lucky for me, two government officials boarded the plane so the doors were opened, they explained how war had broke out and that we had to get back to France immediately and no passengers would be allowed to exit the plane. As the doors were open I saw a window of opportunity, so I grabbed my bag and got off the plane, no air France staff bothered to come after me, only the Congolese airport staff did... and you know how that works.... a little pay-off (pot-de-vin) and soon after that I was well on my way to go get my job done. By the way the lit'l pay off went on my expense account.

However we didn't get very far fast, before the shooting started. Upon exiting the airport premises shots were being fired. I never made it to my hotel that night, only about half way to a placed called Limite... -well didn't matter anyways, I was informed that the hotel was all shot up and occupied by rebel soldiers, 2 French nationals were dead in the lobby and the rebels refused to allow the authorities to claim them... *moving on*... It was the middle of the night "pitch black" and we were driving with no lights so as not to be detected.

The CELTEL protocol team declared that it was too dangerous to continue any further. So they put me up with a family there. They'd called ahead to the family and asked if I could stay the night and they kindly agreed to accommodate me. The first night was calm and everything seemed fine. But the next morning... I remember while sitting in the sofa... watching their 2 little boys play... that familiar sound I knew so well started. AK47's pah pah pah pah pah... the bullets started striking the facade of the house as well as passing through the house.

Being prior service military, (Big Red One RDF) I recognized that familiar sound and my first thought was to get as much concrete as possible between these kids and those AK's. I told them we're going to low crawl (low crawl meaning like to slide on your belly as a snake) I had to make it seem like a kind of game to get them going, so I low crawled them to the centre of the house... I was called out to the mother whom they i will refer to in this case as 'mamy' to open a door which was obtucted I knew I had to get them to protection, she struggled with the door I yelled at her (probably even swore) the door had been obstructed... but we managed. I took the mom as well placed them all in the centre of the house with as many concrete walls as possible between them and those doing the shooting. I remember Mami leaned back against a wooden door... I remember. I said Mami!!!... Mami please lean against the cement wall for me please... bullets will go right through that door and she just looked at me with a look I will never forget like "Who is this man" she smiled a little and slide over behind the cement wall... I breathed a sigh of relief.

 It was difficult to find enough to find games to keep the boys lying flat down on the ground. Mami's husband... we only saw him for an instant when the shooting started and he was gone. I've seen fear before so I knew we wouldn't see him back soon. We were up against the cement walls and laying flat out on the floor for 3 days. I believe I am the only one who took food during those 3 days. I made several attempts to get my hands on an AK, but unfortunately to no avail, all I had was a kitchen knife to protect this family if rebels finally got inside the parcel... and they were attempting to... as Kabila's soldiers were getting the upper hand. The rebels were going into houses killing the occupants in some cases ... taking civilian cloths and tried to mingle in with other civilians, but they never got in (all this while Mami was praying none-stop) I was the only one who managed to eat something, every other person was too scared to eat and we remained that way for 3 days. There was a point during those 3 days that I thought we would or could all die today... when Bimba's soldiers started firing RPGs as opposed to using small arms... AKs. "No concrete can save us now I was thinking to myself"... while at the same time reassuring them everything was going to be alright. At one moment during the fiercest fighting I was on the phone with my colleagues back in Belgium, I had never heard a Belgian 'pray' before until that day

When it was all over, Mami's husband reappeared. Mami gave him "HELL" screaming and yelling and telling him it was a stranger who had saved the lives of their children. I calmed her and tried to explain to her that he was frightened and that I had been trained for this kind of event in the military. (I don't know if she ever forgave him, but when I speak to her now it appears that all is forgotten, in fact we never speak of those 3 days)

That Sunday morning when it calmed a little i told her I was going out Mammy told her sister to go with me... I said no way I'm going alone, Mami said you're right ... thank you and she said something to me that I have never repeated to anyone to this day... and probably never will repeat to anyone.

Well... I made it out... all the way to the hotel, sent assistance back for them an armored vehicle... checked into a room that the windows had all been shot out... bullet traced walls, and that was that. However never understood why, and was quiet annoyed they'd shot up the VSAT internet access satellite dish which was installed just outside my window. 

The next day I was working on the network problem... fixed the problem... revisited the family and got the hell out...

I remained in close contact with Mami and became very close to her family, to later have a beautiful daughter (Sammi) with her younger sister.

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE!!! "PHIL COLLINS"