The Power of Arrest and Ironies of War
by paco on 25 Jan 2009 | Comments
It’s interesting to see how the arrest of a powerful militia or guerrilla leader can lead to the rapid dissolution of his troops, especially when that leader has concentrated all power to himself. This happened in Peru when Shining Path leader Abimael Guzmán was arrested in Lima, Peru in 1992, as described in the documentary film State of Fear - in the weeks and months following his arrest Shining Path literally fell apart and soon its second tier of leaders was soon behind bars. Now, according to the NY Times, Nkunda’s troops are heading to collection points to join the Congolese army, following a pattern established in the Ituri region of eastern Congo, where several militia groups ended by demobilizing and being integrated into the army. How ironic! An army made up of former enemies sworn to mutual destruction - I often wonder if this is how the mercenaries of religious wars of Europe centuries ago ended up, a time when warlords roamed the land, pillaging and maiming - did they eventually get integrated into the armies of the kings as city-states gave way to nation-states….?
Militia leader Laurent Nkunda before his arrest.