The United Nations Mission in Congo (UNOC or ONUC) could easily be described as a major failure.It went from simply keeping peace to becoming embroiled in a rather nasty domestic squabble for political power.Of course, Congo had already been victimized by the ruthless and exploitative imperialistic policies of Belgium's King Leopold II.
The local leaders who emerged in the pre-independence and post-era were operating in a political arena with limited skilled human resources even though Congo is a mineral-rich country.More specifically, Moïse Tshombe and Patrice Lumumba were seeking to lead a country with some serious sociopolitical and economic problems.
The United Nations Secretary General during this period was Dag Hammarskjold who was partially blamed for the assassination of Lumumba and the failure of the mission.
Ironically, the intervention by the Congolese military under the leadership of Joseph Mobutu averted what could have resulted in a civil war.
Do you think it is possible to link some of the current problems in Congo to the missteps of ONUC?