OPen samento

Sarajevo 1995 – as estradas do Monte Igman.

Em 1995, quando o Aeroporto de Sarajevo estava fechado tínhamos de entrar e sair da Cidade sitiada através do Monte Igman.

Descer o Monte Igman não era só perigoso devido ao fogo dos snipers e das granadas RPG, era igualmente um perigo conduzir naquela estreita estrada de terra batida, com elevado grau de inclinação, e uma ravina que não desculpava qualquer ligeira saída da picada.

Descida do Monte Igman – Camião UN atingido – foto de Franky Hauwelaert

O dia 19 de agosto de 1995 foi um dos dias marcantes naquelas descidas do perigoso percurso. Nesse dia ocorreu algo trágico e marcante, para a história da Guerra da Bósnia. Estava previsto para esse dia a chegada uma delegação de alto nível Norte-Americana a Sarajevo. O objetivo dessa delegação era de negociar um possível cenário que contribuía para o fim do conflito. Algo que, segundo os rumores que corriam, seria uma alternativa aceite pelos sérvios que implicava o fim do cerco a Sarajevo.

Uma vez que o aeroporto continuava fechado, a delegação Americana fez o caminho alternativo que implicava descer o Monte Igman. A coluna de carros blindados era constituída por dois veículos, transportando no seu interior os diplomatas e respetiva escolta. No carro da frente viajavam o Alto Representante dos Estados Unidos para a Europa e Ásia – Richard Holbrooke – e uma alta patente do Pentágono – General Wesley Clark. No segundo veículo viajavam o Embaixador US para a Bósnia – Robert C. Frasure; o diplomata Joseph Kruzel; e o Coronel Sam Nelson Drew da Força Aérea Norte-Americana.

Toda a nossa atenção estava concentrada naquela visita e tudo parecia estar a correr normalmente. Contudo, aproximadamente a meio da descida do Monte Igman, o veículo de trás, um blindado de transporte de tropas (APC) francês, saiu repentinamente da estrada e caiu montanha abaixo. Durante a queda deram-se algumas explosões porque, aparentemente, aquela zona da ravina estava minada. Quando os militares da ONU se aproximaram do local, no sopé do monte, encontraram o veículo a arder. Os reportes que recebemos informavam a existência de feridos graves e quatro mortos. Tinham morrido no acidente os três VIPs americanos e o condutor do Exército Francês. O veículo que seguia à frente, com o Dr. Holbrooke e o General Clark, prosseguiu para Sarajevo. O constrangimento era geral e, obviamente, não houve qualquer negociação nem contatos diplomáticos.

Mais tarde, veio a verificar-se que a razão da queda do APC tinha sido uma mina anticarro colocada na estrada. Durante a queda, as explosões que ocorreram deveram-se a outras minas que estavam na encosta.

Essa descoberta deixou o sobreolho franzido a muitos militares da ONU, conhecedores da área em questão. Aquela picada tinha sido utilizada naquele mesmo dia e não tinha havido nenhum incidente com minas. No entanto, tinha chovido bastante no dia anterior, abrindo a hipótese da mina ter escorregado encosta abaixo até à estrada com uma enxurrada, ou um deslizamento de terras. Não deixava de ser estranho que vários carros tivessem passado por aquele mesmo local nesse dia sem ter ativado a mina.

Nesse mesmo dia, umas horas mais tarde, um carro de combate – Scorpion – Britânico, ao descer o Monte Igman, embateu num outro APC francês que ia à sua frente, um Renault VAB semelhante ao que transportava os VIP nessa manhã, fazendo-o sair da estrada e cair na ravina. Este segundo acidente, embora não tivesse ativado nenhuma mina, também causou vários feridos graves e um morto, todos franceses.

Flying in the No Fly Zone – Bosnia 1995

During the conflict in Bosnia, the UN had imposed a No Fly Zone (NFZ) over the country. Only with a previous authorization by the UN could someone fly over Bosnia. In order to assure that NFZ the UN gave a mandate to NATO for the implementation of the necessary measures and, simultaneously, deployed UN Military Observers (UNMO) to the Croatian and Yugoslavian radar sites of the respective civilian air traffic Area Control Centers (ACC).

Looking at the ACC radar scope, we could see several targets flying over Bosnia. They had a considerable speed, displayed similar radar identification codes and were performing wide circular patterns. Those were the NATO fighters – the Guardians of the No Fly Zone. Down South, over the Adriatic Sea, there was a NATO radar observation aircraft; a Boeing E-3 Sentry – AWACS – pointing its radar downward, trying to see low level violations of the NFZ. Occasionally, up north, inside Hungarian airspace, there was another AWACS, making sure there were no radar blind areas over Bosnia.
The AWACS radio call sign was “Magic”. Anything flying in Bosnia without UNPROFOR permission, would be detected by a “Magic” and intercepted by the “Guardians”, in which case the intruder would be advised (on the emergency frequencies) to “exit immediately the No-Fly Zone, or be prepared to be submitted to drastic measures”.

**Sometimes there were so many NATO air assets flying inside the NFZ, that it seemed there was no space for other flyers to go inside.**

Having UN radar operators looking upwards and NATO radar operators looking downwards, theoretically, would mean the No-Fly Zone was completely covered; no “fly” would “fly” undetected over Bosnia … or so we thought! The Serbian pilots were nothing less than experienced aviators.

They knew all the tricks in the play book and, although in much less quantity, there were still flying around inside the NFZ. Sometimes we saw them; other times we didn’t see them, but we knew they were still flying over Bosnia.

“Cumulonimbus Africanis” – Angola 1992

The propeller is just a big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.

That’s what the aviation joke says; but it couldn’t be more accurate regarding a pilot’s reaction to the loss of his propeller thrust. I remember one day, in Luena aerodrome – Angola – during the UN mission to support the country’s 1992 elections, when the pilot of a Beechcraft C-90 GT King Air aircraft landed in such conditions.

During the final approach, the twin engine King Air seemed to have difficulties in landing. One of its engines was stopped and the other one was making a random noise of engine power. That pilot was definitely in serious problems!

When the captain finally managed to park the aircraft at the UN spot, he got out of the cockpit sweating like a fount, and pointed out to the southern horizon. Far in the distance, we could see an insurmountable wall of clouds, formed by huge cumulonimbus towers. Those things in Africa can be enormous, rising up to 45.000 feet and above. Inside of a cumulonimbus tower there’s electrical storms, heavy rain, very strong winds and ice; small and big balls of ice, flying up and down the cloud. Not a good place to fly into!

Looking at the aircraft, it seemed that it was attacked by a pride of lions; such was the quantity of deep scratches and dents in the aircraft’s plating. In several parts of the fuselage the painting was gone; its communication and navigation aids antennas were broken; the rubber cover of the anti-freezing on the leading edge of the wings was hanging in stripes; some windows were cracked; the ailerons and stabilizer were dented; all external lights were broken and both propellers were prorated, as if a horde of rats had been feeding on it. However, the thing that impressed me the most was a tremendous collision that must had occurred on the tapering nose of the aircraft. It would seem that someone had given a valiant punch in the nose of the Beechcraft, turning what was concave into convex.

The sweaty pilot-in-command simply said:

– “Southeast of this location there’s a long and tall Cumulonimbus. We had no ability to go over it and the turbulence was too strong to fly under it; hence i decided to cross it perpendicularly … shortly after we entered the clouds, it looked like we had hit a wall of ice … I started sweating when we lost engine number one and number two had a drastic loss of power”.

Regardless the technology, Mother Nature was still in command, and we could all see in the distance that big “Cumulonimbus Africanis”!

Ramadan Mubarak – Tenha um Ramadão Abençoado

No dia 23 ou 24 de Abril de 2020 (dependendo da localização de cada país/território) irá ter inicio o mês islâmico sagrado do Ramadão. Folheando os meus apontamentos das missões de Apoio à Paz na ONU encontrei alguma informação pertinente que gostaria de partilhar com vocês.

O Ramadão é a celebração do mês em que os primeiros versos do Al Corão foram revelados ao Profeta Maomé. A palavra “Ramadão” é origem árabe e a sua raiz (Ar Ramad) significa “seca” ou “calor”.

O Ramadão é celebrado no nono mês do Calendário Lunar, referenciando o aparecimento da “Lua Nova”. Uma vez que o Calendário Lunar é 11 a 12 dias mais curto do que o Calendário Gregoriano (seguido por nós), o Ramadão ocorre sempre 10 a 11 dias mais cedo em cada ano que passa.

Para os muçulmanos, celebrar o Ramadão significa cumprir o quarto dos cinco pilares do Islão. Os cinco pilares são:

1 – Shahadah – A Declaração de Fé;

2 – Salah – As (5) rezas diárias;

3 – Zakat – A purificação da riqueza, através de dádivas aos pobres (2,5% das poupanças anuais);

4 – Siyan – O jejum durante o mês do Ramadão – Obrigatório para todos os muçulmanos except àqueles que foi atribuído o estatuto de excepção (a saber: crianças; adultos doentes (físico ou mental); adultos que estejam envolvidos em viagens longas; mulheres grávidas, em época pós-parto ou a amamentar);

5 – Hajj – A peregrinação a Meca – obrigatório para todos os muçulmanos (pelo menos uma vez na vida) desde que essa pessoa tenha possibilidade financeira e física para o fazer.

Durante o Ramadão os crentes muçulmanos irão observar rigorosamente as regras desse mês sagrado, as quais incluem a reflexão, a observância das rezas, a prática da caridade, e a abstinência de alimentação entre o nas e o pôr-do-sol. O jejum durante as horas do dia inclui comida de qualquer género, água, fumar e até actividade sexual (uma hora e meia antes do nascer-do-sol e depois do pôr-do-sol).

O Ramadão termina com a celebração do – o Eid-al-Fitr (referido só por Eid) que é um festival de três dias, o qual eventualmente terá restrições este ano devido ao Corona Vírus.

Protocolo/Etiqueta durante o Ramadão

Não beba, fume, masque pastilha elástica em frente a um muçulmano, nem lhes ofereça nenhum dos artigos antes mencionados;

Evite envolver muçulmanos em reuniões de trabalho que incluam uma refeição;

Evite planear trabalho para muçulmanos após as 15:00 horas;

Considere que os muçulmanos poderão estar menos disponíveis para discussões intelectuais, porque poderão estar concentrados em reflexões religiosas;

É natural que os muçulmanos se sintam esgotados e enfraquecidos durante o dia no mês do Ramadão, devido ao jejum;

É comum os muçulmanos gozarem uma semana de férias no fim do Ramadão.

Caso convidado para participar no Eid (e a situação – Corona Vírus o permitir – tente aceitar porque pode ser mal interpretado se declinar o convite.

Na época do Eid, é natural que o tráfego rodoviário e aéreo aumente consideravelmente nos países muçulmanos.

Saúde as pessoas com a frase – “Ramadan Mubarak” (tenha uma Ramadão abençoado).

Ramadan Mubarak – Have a Blessed Ramadan

On the 23rd or 24th of April 2020 (pending on the country), starts the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. Eyeing my UN field missions notes I found some good information about this important celebration, which I would like to share with you all.

Ramadan is the celebration of the month when the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad. The word Ramadan is an Arab word, which root (Ar Ramad) means “dryness”, or “heat”.

Ramadan is celebrated on the ninth month in the Lunar Calendar, measuring the appearance of the “new moon”. Since the Lunar Calendar is 11 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian Calendar, Ramadan occurs 10 to 11 days earlier every year. This year of 2020, Ramadan starts on the 23 or 24 of April (pending on the Country). Because the date is imposed by the “new moon”, the exact date (on the Gregorian Calendar) may differ one day, from one location to another.

Celebrating Ramadan is the fourth of the five Pillars (obligatory practices) of Islam. The five pillars of Islam are:

1 – Shahadah – Declaration of faith;

2 – Salah – The daily (5) prayers;

3 – Zakat – Purification of wealth (2,5% of annual savings offered to the poor);

4 – Siyan – Fasting during the month of Ramadan – obligatory to all Muslim except for the ones perfectly identified as exceptions (children, unhealthy adults both physically or mentally, women who are menstruating, in post-childbirth care, pregnant or breast-feeding);

5 – Hajj – The pilgrimage to Makkah – obligatory once in a lifetime for every Muslim with physical and economic capacity to do it.

During Ramadan time, Muslin believers will act in strict observance of the Holly Month’s rules, which includes fasting, repentance, self-examination, increased prayer and increased charity. Practicing Muslims will abstain from food, water, all liquids, smoking and the use of any kind of tobacco products, and sexual relations during daylight hours from about one-half hour before sunrise to dusk around one-half hour after sunset.

The Ramadan period ends with a festival – the Eid-al-Fitr (Eid for short) – consisting of a three days of celebration and gratitude that begin the new month. Obviously, this year (due to the Corona Virus problem) these celebrations may eventually have a different layout.

Ramadan Etiquette

Do not offer anything to heat or drink to a Muslim during Ramadan;

Avoid involving Muslims in meetings that include lunch or that extend beyond 15:00 hours and social events during Ramadan (again – the Corona Virus issue, will cancel social events);

Avoid smoking, drinking, chewing gum or eating in the presence of Muslims between dawn and sunset;

Don’t press an unwilling Muslim to engage in deep conversation because it may be perceived as a sign of disrespect–Ramadan is a time to reflect on one’s faith;

It is common for Muslims to take vacation/leave during the last week of Ramadan;

Muslims may be weakened (due to fasting) during Ramadan; therefore, it is wise to understand their declined workforce throughout this period;

It is expected to see traffic jams, congestion air traffic, the week before and three days after the end of Ramadan;

If invited to the ceremonies of the end of Ramadan (and if the Corona Virus restrictions have been raised) try to comply, but keep social distancing and keep safe;

Salute people by saying “Ramadan Mubarak” (Have a Blessed Ramadan).

Instalações da Força Aérea no combate ao Covid-19 – Base da Ota

As instalações do Centro de Formação Militar e Técnica da Força Aérea (CFMTFA), na Ota, vão receber 138 migrantes que testaram positivo ao Covid-19.

Estes migrantes, faziam parte de um grupo de 175 pessoas que se encontravam hospedadas num alojamento de Lisboa, aguardando a aprovação do estatuto de refugiado.

Após testes ao grupo, 31 foram considerados “não-infectados”, seis “inconclusivos” e 138 “Infectados”, devendo este último grupo ser alojado (isolado) nas instalações da Força Aérea na Ota.

“The need sharpens the ingenuity” (Gorazde 1992/95)

Bosnia Herzegovina – Right after the Cease Fire became in force (11OCT95), the UNMO team of UNPROFOR HQ (Sarajevo) got tasked to verify and monitor its implementation on the roads Sarajevo – Pale – Gorazde.

Gorazde was a besieged city; there was no one to collect the garbage and nowhere to deposit it. Only the rapid and massive flow of River Drina could take the filth away. Looking at that river, with its significant amount of water, rapidly flowing from Northeast to Southwest across the City, I couldn’t help remembering the poet’s words “the need sharpens the ingenuity”. Ingenuity had no nations or ethnicity; it was a survival characteristic of the Human kind; and that river was the absolute prove of it.

All over the Drina there was a large amount of rotating floating devises, attached to the River’s banks. They were rafts with mills connected to electricity generators, and the cabling attaching them to the bridges, or to the banks, also carried the electricity produced by each rotating generator. The amount of electricity produced was reduced, but it was enough to supersede the absolute basic energy needs of the town. The Serbs had cut the electricity access to the City, but Gorazde was not completely on the dark.

Water mills for electricity production on the Drina – Gorazde – Photo by Miguel Machado

The Cease Fire Agreement only imposed the return of electricity, water and gas to Sarajevo. Gorazde would have to wait some more time for its turn. Meanwhile, they kept the wartime systems up and running.

“It is easier to break an atom than a prejudice!”

Afghanistan seems to be gradually changing. Even the insurgency leadership appears to have a different posture; for sure much different from what we’ve witnessed some years ago. The Taliban allegedly have agreed to step-down the level of violence and it looks like they also wish to find a solution for that multi-decade conflict.

In such conflict areas, any solution takes about 30 years to cement and bring solid outcomes. That is normally the time for the babies born after the conflict epoch to become grownup and start making (or influencing) decisions with a non-Warfare perspective. He young people have got to be able to express their opinions, and participate in the destination of their country, through a political combat and not with Kalashnikovs.

For that to occur the children must be educated and have access to information; and that was just the International Community has been doing for years all over Afghanistan; Massively!

**Under each burka there’s a girl aspiring to go to school, or a woman wishing to be heard.**

However, can we realistically trust these new developments? Albert Einstein’s once said:

–“It is easier to break an atom than a prejudice!”

The fact that we’re seeing signs of progress doesn’t mean the International community umps out of the process. Abandoning the Afghans to their own luck is basically giving away all the effort we done so far. All the blood and treasure many nations have spilled and spent with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan still has a tribal culture; where the ancients rule by right and implement justice according to traditional (medieval) legislation. Out of the urban areas; the youngsters will not access to leadership, neither to decision making, for many years to come; not until they become ancients themselves.

So how can we have democracy and traditional structures coexisting? The answer seems to be:

– “Neither of the above; it has got to be something in the middle – the Afghan way.”

That’s the challenge; but it will not happen if the International Community gives-up the democratization process.

Base Aérea de Beja recebe idosos (COVID – 19)

De acordo com o jornal Correio da Manhã de 18ABR2020, o Secretário de Estado da Defesa – Jorge Seguro Sanches – terá afirmado que a Base Aérea de Beja tem a capacidade de acomodar nas suas instalações um grupo idosos no âmbito da resposta à pandemia COVID-19.

De acordo com aquele governante, a Base instalou 76 camas para receber esses cidadãos senior.

Overconfidence can kill you.

In order to do a proper analysis of a certain situation, one has got to scan it from the outside. We’ve got to put some distance between the study object and the observer and look at all the external facts that influence that particular situation. If you are too close and a part of it, you tend to miss the big picture.

A peacekeeper cannot avoid being a part of the studied object situation, because he/she was normally embedded on it. The only distance the peacekeeper can implement; is time! We have to let time go-by in order to serenade sensations/feelings, and make a critical assessment of what went right and what went wrong. Frequently we reach the conclusion that we lived situations that had everything to go wrong; very wrong! We’ve only lived to tell the story because the “lucky” factor had (too much) influence in the outcome of that situation.

I recall a certain day, during a UN mission in Luena – Angola – 1992, where I did everything wrong and only the “lucky” factor saved me. Something that gave experience to survive other missions in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world.

We were in the UN ramp of Luena’s airfield preparing the cargo load and organizing some passengers to board a UN aircraft that was flying inbound. At that a given moment, a group of demobilized soldiers entered the aircraft maneuvering area, looking for an aircraft that could eventually fly out of Luena, to Angola’s Capital – Luanda. When they verified that there was absolutely no chance to achieve their intentions, they became aggressive towards everything and everybody. Some of them had weapons and they opened fire randomly over several people/locations.

At the aerodrome’s UN corner, there were several journalists waiting for the arriving aircraft; a soon as they heard the first bursts they immediately jumped to the ground and took cover. People were crying and screaming in Flemish, Portuguese, English and some Angolan dialects.

I just kept on working. There was a lot to do before that aircraft’s arrival and, in all fairness, it was very common to hear shooting in Luena. The sound of those Kalashnikov was like the sense around of a movie … and all those people were just extra actor in that film … my film.

Suddenly, I felt something hitting the ground very strongly, just in front of my right foot; only after I heard the sound of a single shoot. That shot had been fired in my direction and, because the bullet traveled faster than sound, I only heard the sound after the projectile. Immediately after, I felt a wind blow with a hiss on my left ear. The sound of yet another shot came right after that. My brain evaluated all those inputs and, in a micro second, I realized that those were not lost bullets; someone was actually firing at me. I think I blushed when I recognized the stupidity on my behavior. Boldness was not synonymous of dedication and overconfidence leads to irresponsible attitudes that can get you killed.

I also jumped to the ground and hid my silhouette behind some carton boxes waiting to be loaded on the cargo plane. At that time a all lot of shooting started at the airfield. The Angolan special police (the Ninjas) had just arrived, and they were not solving the problem with sticks. When the firing was over, there were several bodies lying on the apron’s tarmac and the situation was under control. Several demobilized soldiers were arrested which, in the hands of the anti-riot police, was not a very auspicious situation.

The sound of a landing C-130 and its reverse engine procedure filled the air. Our aircraft had just landed. When the journalists boarded the aircraft they had red eyes for having been crying; I just had that stupid look on my face of someone that had just escaped from being shot in the head … by mere luck. I committed the traditional mistake of lowering the guard due to routine operations.

I registered yet another Lesson Learned: – “Overconfidence can get you killed.”

Experience is something one gathers by surviving to one’s mistakes. That experience enables the veteran peacekeeper to anticipate situations, because he/she has already outlived them. It is the perfect “on-time”; and “at the site”; substitute for the analytical distancing. The veteran experiences a sensation of “déjà vu”; a jump in time to other similar situations and its solutions, assisting the instantaneous decision making to adapt and overtake.

There’s a military aviation saying that applies to such Lessons Learned culture:

–“In the civilian society, the more you live – the more you learn; in conflict resolution missions, the more you learn – the more you live”.