KIVU, Goma, Bukavu: one looks at the "Carte Routiere Officielle" of Kivu which we used 36 years ago. The youngest soldiers of LtCol Mortimer Buckley's 32nd Battalion who went to defuse tension in the then Congo are in their fifties now.

Kivu is about four times the size of Ireland, but the 685 men of the 32nd kept it quiet then by energetic patrolling to show the UN flag and by maintaining contact with all officials, missionaries, local leaders, village chiefs etc.

Security Council (SC) Resolution 1078, passed last Saturday, went down badly in the West. It told the Secretary General to do some planning. Governments considered the implications and the SC was to meet again on November 20th.

But then pictures of women and children in distress came into our homes. By midweek, governments acted. A Canadian general is to command; Britain, France the US and several other countries are to provide troops.

Mr Spring indicated early on that we would consider participation. He did so with the knowledge that the manpower situation is difficult, but that the Defence Forces would do their best. Commitments in South Lebanon and 5 other countries, from New York to Kuwait and Georgia, remain. Many officers and men have left the Army under its reorganisation and the new recruits have not yet arrived.

Troops have not yet been requested, but unofficial indications are that about 100 transport or demining troops may be sought. Such troops have specialised equipment, including robots, which destroy mines, booby traps and other devices.

Specialist teams were developed out of hard experience in Lebanon. Explosives disposal takes time. Expert ordnance personnel must be able to concentrate on this - their time must not be used on searches which others can do.

The French indicate that they will land on Bukavu airfield and hold it for other incoming troops. They have explicitly said that an area around the airfield must be cleared of weapons which could hit the field and its installations. This probably means mortars and small arms. Artillery does not seem much used yet.

There have been rather macho headlines about the rules of engagement of the new force. When analysed, it seems that these are very similar to the normal rules which allow UN troops to fire in self defence - although minimum force does not seem to be mentioned.

It has often been said that peacekeeping troops from the big countries would be more ready to accept casualties and use force than those from the smaller ones. The experience of Bosnia did not bear this out.

The announced decision of the Canadian commander designate that attempts will not be made to disarm militias or separate them from the refugees seems at odds with the brutal activities of these militias.

Much staff work will have been upset by yesterday's seemingly good news of the mass return to Rwanda. More ominous is the confirmation of cholera cases among refugee patients in Geneva.

Refugee movements, so much a feature of our century, are sparked by fear. They are slow, leaderless, unstoppable, and unguidable. Sanitation, water and food become very secondary to fear. Huge numbers can be involved.

The evacuation of the camps seems to show that the Hutu Interahamwe grip has been broken. There has been firing for days in and around the camps. The effect on the nerves, not to mention the bodies, of the refugees must have been devastating.

Then some mental barrier was crossed, some mass decision taken and the move began. Tens of thousands headed for safety, towards home in Rwanda.

Perhaps many of the new force's worst problems are being solved. The food accumulated in Rwanda and on the Tanzania Uganda border can be distributed over shorter distances in politically desirable locations within Rwanda. The social, economic and military pressures on Zaire caused by the presence of 1,000,000 refugees are eased.

The new force should try to get men on the ground as soon as possible, but one wonders about the emphasis on logistics troops. Combat infantry may be needed, if only for reassurance. An officer with peacekeeping experience does not readily advocate forceful measures in such an operation - one has seen them make matters worse. But provision should be made for that contingency.