Work Starts on the Rwenzori Trail
Category: Rebuilding | Date: Apr 30 2007 | By: admin
Honore Balikwisha, one of the three Troop Leaders of the Advance Force, brought back these photographs of the work that has started on the rehabilitation of the trail that leads up the Rwenzori Mountain.
The trail lies about 30 km north of Mutsora and has not been maintained since the breakout of war.
A job of this size takes a lot of people, which is a good thing as all the workers are hired from the nearby villages and the money earned is much needed.
Over the last decade or so it’s probably seen many rebels and refugees, and more recently the men from MONUC, but it’s been a long time since the trail has seen tourists.
The rehabilitation work for the Camp de Guides at Kyandolire has not yet been started.
Written across the walls both outside and in, are the messages of all those who have in recent times used this building as a stopping point. Messages seeking loved ones, lost friends, some messages are crude, some desperate, and some are cryptic, maybe a message to whichever rebel group was in the area at that time.
An old sign, which reads:
Do not leave the path. Respect the fauna and flora. Growing Crops is Forbidden.
By Royal Decree, 26 November 1934
Technorati : Congo, Hiking, Rwenzori, Virunga, WildlifeDirect
End of the Patrol
Category: Out on Patrol | Date: Apr 27 2007 | By: admin
And so we reached the end of our patrol in Djuma.
We were truly honored to have Paul with us, and with the findings of more okapi traces in the area as well as the start of discussions with the chief of the local pygmy tribe, it was a very positive experience. Also, when we made our way through the forest it was great to know that it was with the support of all those from around the world who are concerned about Virunga’s future. And for this I would also like to thank my sponsors at Happy Hollow Zoo as well as all the others who have made donations to our work. This patrol was thanks to the money that has come in and we hope that we will be able to have many more in the future.
Thank you everyone, this is a great beginning to a new chapter here in Congo.
Technorati : Congo, DRC, Virunga, WildlifeDirect
Looking Towards Virunga’s Future
Category: Out on Patrol | Date: Apr 26 2007 | By: admin
A breakfast of porridge before heading off into the bush.
If you remember, the other week Aloma Major was on patrol in the same area around Djuma and found traces of okapi, we were excited about this news as okapi were not known to be in this area. They are extremely rare and before now only known to be around Epulu, and so we were once more thrilled when we again came across some okapi traces.
Here I am with Matembele discussing with him whether it really was okapi dung. We were both quite certain that it was, but for a true answer we needed to get someone who knows well about the okapi, a scientific Conservationist who can have the last word.
At the end of the patrol, back at the Djuma Patrol Post, I had a conversation with the chief of the nearby Bantu pygmy tribe.
We talked for a long time and I asked him what he thought about working alongside with the Advance Force. They are the first occupants of the region and know the area very well, and so would help us enormously with the information they could provide.
I told him that there were already pygmies who work alongside conservationists at Epulu and so why not here in Djuma. He was very happy to hear this because his people are marginalised by society and he could not quite believe that I thought that they would be useful to our work.
I also told him about the pygmy people who were trained as guards at Park National Kahuzi-Biega and that it is very possible for us to work together in the future. It was just a discussion, but hopefully the first steps towards helping integrate the pygmies with the work done to preserve the forest in this part of the park.
Technorati : Congo Rangers, DRC, Okapi, Pygmies, Virunga, WildlifeDirect, World Picture News
Patrol in Djuma with Paul from World Picture News
Category: In the Press, Out on Patrol | Date: Apr 25 2007 | By: admin
After just a couple of days in Mutsora, it was time to go back out on patrol again, with Paul from World Picture News joining us for a couple of days.
Above you can see the Djuma Patrol Post with a palm tree grove in the background.
It’s no longer a suitable PP for the area, and we really need to take this one down and build a stronger one which is good enough for the guards and their families.This is a very valuable area with the recent finding of okapi here, as well as the new road being built by Soderu which connects Uganda with Congo.
I believe that ICCN should put road blocks on this road where it enters and exits the park, so that we can monitor the traffic and make sure that illegal activities such as logging and poaching do not go on within our borders. We could also even use the road blocks as a small income for the park or pay for the upkeep of the road, but to monitor poaching is essential as although these new roads can provide much hope to an area, the increased accessibility of the park to outsiders can see dramatic rises in the traffic of bush meat.
Technorati : Congo, Virunga, WildlifeDirect, World Picture News
Early Morning Training
Category: Life in Mutsora | Date: Apr 24 2007 | By: admin
Most Monday and Friday mornings, depending on whether the troops are out on patrol, we have training here at Mutsora.
It is important to do this to keep discipline among our men, as well as to make sure that all the procedures that we carry out are second nature.
Stripping and assembling their weapons is one of the exercises that our men perform. They have to remove all bullets, completely strip the gun, and then put it back together in under a minute. Usually all of the Advance Force are able to do this, but as you can see the guard on the right was having some trouble with his weapon -it was brand new and very stiff- it took him one minute and ten to complete the task.
Tomorrow I will tell you more about the Patrol at Djuma when we were also joined by Paul Taggart from World Picture News.
Technorati : Congo, Congo Rangers, Virunga, WildlifeDirect
Voice of America
Category: In the Press | Date: Apr 23 2007 | By: admin
From the post on Tuesday about Jean Marie’s escape from the rebel leader 106, Samantha Newport from the WildlifeDirect team saw the story and wrote a press release. The story was then this weekend picked up by Voice of America and so on Saturday I did an interview over the phone with one of their reporters Kari in Kenya.
If you click on the picture below it will take you to the article, although the man in the picture is not Jean Marie.
Technorati : Radio, Voice of America, WildlifeDirect
Passing out Parade at Kahuzi-Biega
Category: Outside of Virunga | Date: Apr 20 2007 | By: admin
On the last day at Kahuzi-Biega was the Passing Out Parade for all of the recruits. This was done in the presence of VIPs from the area as well as the FARDC military who were used as witnesses to the ceremony. This is necessary as with so many rebels in the area we need to have witnesses in place to prevent accusations that we are training rebels along with our recruits.
One of the exercises was to strip and assemble an AK47, blindfolded, in less than a minute.
It was Somba, the only guard to get 27/30 on his target practice, who was able to achieve this first in just 40 seconds. He showed remarkable skills throughout the training ad I have recommended that he is given the responsibility of the whole of his troop - The Chef de Promotion.
After the exercises, all of the recruits marched past the watching crowd. At the front is the Commander of LAB (Lutte Anti-Braconnage: Fight Against Poaching), and in the background you can see the administrative offices of the park.
It was the job of Director Mashagiro Honore of ICCN (Virunga National Park) to give out the certificates. In the background you can see Madame Martinuque, in blue, from the WWF, and the ceremony was also filmed and televised by the Congolese National Channel, RTNC.
Technorati : Congo Rangers, DRC, WildlifeDirect
More training at Kahuzi-Biega
Category: Outside of Virunga | Date: Apr 19 2007 | By: admin
Much of the training was in the form of lectures. Using maps for orientation, the map above shows the whole of Congo with all of the different National Parks inside. This was to show the recruits the vast richness of Congo, and with such a large rainforest we must protect it not only for us and our future generations. The forest of Congo is one of the largest to be found on the planet, which means that for conservation, Congo is one of the most important in the world.
The lecturer also addressed the vast richness to be found under the forest, such as all the minerals that we have here, and that we must move with extreme caution when trying to extract these minerals. A balance must be kept between keeping our nature, but also mining these minerals to help the development of Congo.
At the end of the training, the recruits did target practice at 100 metres. Songa, the guard pictured here, was the only guard to get 27/30. The number of recruits we had was 26, but unfortunately only 7 of them were able to reach the target.
As you can imagine, the selection was not good as many of the men were old and weak. Some of these men weren’t even able to understand Swahili as they only spoke their local language. It is a difficult position because so many of these men have put in so many years to help the park, without a salary, and so there is a responsibility for their future, but at the same time they are no longer strong enough to patrol effectively. We have written to the government to verify that they have put in the years and to see if we can get some kind of pension for the men and free up what little resources we have so that we can find younger and stronger recruits.
Technorati : Congo, Kahuzi-Biega, WildlifeDirect, rangers
Parc National Kahuzi-Biega
Category: Outside of Virunga | Date: Apr 18 2007 | By: admin
I was sent to Station Chivanga at Kahuzi-Biega to help with the training there.
Above you can see me training the recruits for the station, although they’re not really new recruits as many of them have been used before as trackers, especially those from the Bantu Pygmy tribe. They have helped the park here for many years, decades even, without any recognition from the government, which means no salary as well.
The training that took place over the next few days was essential as there are many rebel groups in this area, and so it is necessary that they learn how to use arms to protect not only themselves but also the fauna to be found here, such as the lowland gorillas.
As you can see, we mostly used sticks rather than real rifles because we simply do not have enough guns for training. There is only a small group of arms which are used by one small group of rangers at a time, when out on patrol, leaving those back at the station unarmed.
We have asked the government to provide guns so that the rangers can protect themselves, visitors, conservationists and of course the animals, because this is such a dangerous region. And with a new government just installed, we can but only hope that they will be able to provide the weapons.
Technorati : Congo, DRC, National Parks
After 2 years in captivity, Ranger escapes from Rebel Leader ‘106′
Category: Outside of Virunga | Date: Apr 17 2007 | By: admin
After being in Epulu for a couple of days I made my way to the Park Station at Kahuzi-Biega in South Kivu to help train the guards who are working there. Outside the entrance to the station I saw these Rangers and their families celebrating.
The man in the middle, in blue, is called Jean Marie and is a guard at the park.
Two years ago he was kidnapped by a rebel leader known as ‘106′. 106 was a soldier who left the army with a group of men to form their own rebel group. They came to the Kahuzi Patrol Post and took this guy into the bush, where he was held hostage for two years.
He was often badly treated and menaced by the group, but luckily for Jean Marie he knew how to write in French and Swahili, and so the leader, 106, decided not to kill him and used him as a secretary instead. Also, because he is such a good guard, he was also used by the rebels, by force, to train them in military movements and tactics.
All the time for two years, day and night, there was always a man pointing a gun at him so he could never escape. On the very last day of his captivity, the leader 106 finally decided to kill him because he was no longer of any use to the group. It was a day of violence with him being hit and badly wounded, in preparation to kill him that night. But that evening there was a true miracle and Jean Marie was left alone in his state, probably thought too badly injured to flee, and so he took this, his first chance in two years, and made his escape.
He fled into the forest and spent eight days on the run. The leader 106 has many connections with the other rebel group, the interhamwe, who have many roadblocks in the area. 106 sent a message to the interhamwe telling them to bring this man Jean Marie back to him when he crosses one of their roadblocks.
When Jean Marie reached one of these roadblocks, the interhamwe knew who he was and showed him the message that asked for him to be returned to 106. Jean Marie told the interhamwe that he had been a prisoner of 106 and forced to work for him for two years as a slave, and that if they sent him back to 106 then he would be killed.
God was with Jean Marie, for the interhamwe said that they had no problem with him and that if what he said was true, and he had already managed to escape just before being killed, then chance was on his side and it was not for them to take chance away.
Just three days before this photo was taken, Jean Marie made it back to his wife and his family here near the station. In the picture below, on his right, is Jean Marie’s wife, and on the left is the Chief Warden of Kahuzi-Biega, Monsieur Beghene Katsumbano.
Technorati : Congo, Kahuzi-Biega, Rebels, South Kivu
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