BUNIA, Congo — Two planeloads of French troops have arrived in Congo in preparation of a larger EU-led force to stabilize the area. The French troops have been ordered to "assess the tactical situation on the ground and the state of the airstrip," according to French Colonel, Daniel Vollet.
The French troops, about 100 in number, met heavy resistance from at least 12 Congo civilians, who surrounded the French planes immediately after its landing at the remote field. Shouting, "Frenchy, go home!" in Congolese, the dozen or so men took turns stabbing at the planes with sticks, forcing the terrified French soldiers to remain on board for several hours.
Sometime around 6 p.m., the civilians unexpectedly left the airstrip. After 60 minutes of situational assessment, Col. Vollet ordered the plane doors opened, and a French soldier tentatively poked his head out for visual reconnaissance. The soldier then moved carefully down the plane's steps, followed closely by infantrymen armed with automatic rifles loaded with self-deploying flags of surrender.
"At that point, we were operating on pure adrenaline," said Col. Vollet. "The troops were like coiled springs. I calculated that the militia horde we encountered had gone home for dinner, but they could be back at any moment. My boys had to be ready to fire their white flags without hesitation. This is where all the hard training pays off."
A number of French scouts took up perimeter positions as far as 15 feet from the airplanes, and special force technicians prepared an emergency radio bunker in anticipation of enemy harassment. The bunker's equipment includes a 300,000 decibel loudspeaker system and state-of-the-art high frequency broadcast equipment, with the capacity to transmit surrender signals in up to 23 different languages, simultaneously.
However, no Congo forces returned. After a sleepless night, the apprehensive soldiers settled into a more comfortable routine of organizing their equipment and performing drills. A number of squads could be seen practicing retreating, dropping their weapons and wetting themselves. Several days later, the anxious French commander seemed puzzled about the quiet situation.
"I can't really believe that they've been scared off. It's possible that they think we came here to fight, and are mounting a counter-offensive at this very moment. Far-fetched, but possible. It's the unknown that gets to you. We'll all feel better once we're able to do some real surrendering."
Intelligence sources within the country reported that the Congo civilians and militia, in fact, want no more encounters with the French Army. "It was terrible," said one of the airstrip veterans. "They all stink, very badly."
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