nowho_nohow
Newbie

Just last night saw a programme on the SAS in which a former member 'Nick Cameron' spilt the beans on the lack of UN response to the before-it-happened suspected massacre of 7,000 - 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in the supposedly safe enclave of Srebrenica in '95. Unfortunately I remember this occasion well. I was working in ahem central government at the time, briefing up to the JOC and JIC, at times directly to cabinet level.
I was aware at the time that we did indeed have regiment guys there pretending to be blue hats - in itself somewhat sensitive - and as we saw the catastrophe unfolding, I expected that SFOR (or what is IFOR? I forget the specifics) were tracking the situation and would defuse it before it became a disaster.
No such luck. Hamstrung by UN rules, the on-the-ground force were unable to take any action, and the massacre occurred. In this case, I do not blame UKGOV, but rather the UN as a whole. It was, I believe, the largest massacre since the Second World War. It caused me much distress, just as a very distant observer. As for 'Campbell' and his colleagues, I cannot imagine, let alone the victims and their relatives.
How long can it be that such events are not prevented, even if we have to circumvent official rules and justify after? Please, please, please let it be a lesson that we must embrace humanity rather than rules. I know this does not sound like a retired two-and-a-half, but by God, there is a limit.
I was aware at the time that we did indeed have regiment guys there pretending to be blue hats - in itself somewhat sensitive - and as we saw the catastrophe unfolding, I expected that SFOR (or what is IFOR? I forget the specifics) were tracking the situation and would defuse it before it became a disaster.
No such luck. Hamstrung by UN rules, the on-the-ground force were unable to take any action, and the massacre occurred. In this case, I do not blame UKGOV, but rather the UN as a whole. It was, I believe, the largest massacre since the Second World War. It caused me much distress, just as a very distant observer. As for 'Campbell' and his colleagues, I cannot imagine, let alone the victims and their relatives.
How long can it be that such events are not prevented, even if we have to circumvent official rules and justify after? Please, please, please let it be a lesson that we must embrace humanity rather than rules. I know this does not sound like a retired two-and-a-half, but by God, there is a limit.