The threats haven't worked and the U.N. and the Congolese army have failed to get rid of all these armed groups.

There's a need for a neutral force to calm the population. The Congolese army is a nascent, fledgling force. MONUC fulfills the task.

One of the main vulnerabilities of the Afghan Army is their logistics system,

The population has grown weary of a transitional government that is more concerned with personal enrichment than lifting them out of misery, and they are counting on the ballot box to improve their lot. If the elections go awry, they will turn once again to violence.

Katanga is not on the political map, which is why such a massive humanitarian crisis can go ignored.

There are many weapons that have been distributed to civilians and there are factions who don't want to lose power and who'd do anything including inciting ethnic violence to stop the electoral process. The only way to ensure stability during the elections is to actually have troops on the ground.