The UN Presence In Congo

Living my whole life in the US, when I think of the UN I always think of those guys in the blue helmets and their modern architecture styled headquarters in NYC. Outside of that, the only time you see the UN is really in the news or movies. Not something at the front of mind generally.

In the Congo, it's a different matter altogether. Established by UN Security Resolutions in 1999 and 2000, a peacekeeping force was deployed to Congo to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more easily referred to as MONUSCO has a very real, and noticeable presence in Goma and the surrounding environs. And it's not cheap. With over 19,000 personnel, MONUSCO's budget for the past year was $1.3 billion.

When driving through Goma, you will almost certainly run across several UN trucks. Or even one of their bases. While peace is better than war, it's amazing how different peace can look like around the world.