War in the Congo

As peace among the government and Congolese soldiers deteriorates, looting, rape, and child soldiers consume Congo. And one must wonder: where is the UN in all of this situation? "Nighttime gun battle north of the provincial capital of Goma that represented some of the most intense fighting since Rebel leader Gen. Laurent Nkunda declared a unilateral ceasefire on October 29." With thousand of people dead, looting of resources, and lack of food, a humanitarian crisis has been declared. The United Nations is an organization that has been established precisely to help relief efforts and reach compromises in situations like that in Congo. So what exactly does the UN do? because it sure as hell is not relieving the humanitarian situation in Congo. With its lack of resources, man power, and legitimacy, the UN has become an organization based on saving face. It establishes presence where its services are needed, but never really provides too many services that make a ground-breaking difference in the lives of those who need it. So why even have a UN? It is an organization that has become, in a sense, a waste of resources and nothing but a symbol for an attempt at world unity. In fact, it lacks any real power or resources to make a real difference, as we saw in Bush's decision to utterly ignore to UN's decisions regarding the war in Iraq. Is it time to think of a replacement?