Elie Mundima

Category: Virunga National Park | Date: Jun 01 2007 | By: admin

REPORT ON THE ACT OF SABOTAGE TO THE MOUNT TSHIABIRIMU SUB-STATION, SUNDAY 20 MAY 2007 FROM 6AM TILL 2:40PM

By Ir Fabius MONYA I

First Officer

0. INTRODUCTION

A. Place of Attacks
B. Day of the Attacks
C. Time of the Attacks
D. Report on the Assailants
E. Their Intellectual Abilities

I. COURSE OF OPERATION OF SABOTAGE

II. CONCLUSION

0. INTRODUCTION

A. Place of attacks

BURUSI Patrol Post (Sub-Station of Mount Tshiabirimu), KALIBINA Patrol Post (site touristique of Mount Tshiabirimu) and the Patrol Post of Camp Ngai.

B. Day of the Attacks

20th May 2007.

C. Time of Attacks

From 4 pm till 5:40 pm

D. Report on the Assailants

According to them, they are not part of the Mai-Mai group but revolutionists reclaiming the rights of the population. Upon entry of the Sub-Station, they were dressed in civilian clothes and armed. The group consisted of mostly youths between 14 and 22 years of age, as well as 2 adults aged between 30 and 40.

E. Their Intellectual Abilities

The two adults were highly intelligent, with knowledge of many areas of life. They spoke Kinande, Swahili, Lingala, French and English.

I. COURSE OF OPERATION

It was at 6 am, Sunday 20th May 2007 when the BURUSI base of Mount Tshiabirimu was attacked by the armed assailants. Eight of the group made an incursion into the park, while those remaining around the base, following the progress of the operation. They were in constant telephone communication from the start till the very end of the operation. They even asked their colleagues to top-up the credit on their phones.

On their arrival, they were detected by Guard MULONDI who was waiting to be relieved of his post. He saw that the base was being encircled by the men in civilian clothing and straight away made to return to his house. He was seen by the assailants who, having realised that they had been detected, began to open fire. The guards of the base were unable to respond.

The assailants began to fire at the walls of the homes of the Guards, and made incursions into these homes followed by pillaging and the taking of weapons, in resistance, the latter did not hesitate in firing at them.

The majority of the guards had their family in the camp, and so were obliged not to fire at their attackers to safeguard the lives of their wives and children.

The attackers made their first incursion into the PEVI KACHECHE gite, where there were three visitors spending the night. They were:

• MBUSA BIANZIRE, Worker for Pevi Kacheche
• Mr VHOSI, Worker for the Gorilla Organisation
• Mr Claude, trainee at Pevi Kacheche and younger brother of Cadet l’ADT KISUKI

After having forced the door they saw VHOSI, who had left the room where he had slept the night with BIANZIRE, and they asked him to give them his weapon. He was not carrying a weapon however, and was shot in his right thigh. BIANZIRE also received two shots, one to the chest and one lower down. He fell to the ground.

The attackers forced the window of the room of the Conservateur and plundered ammunition, telephones, G.P.S and other valuable items, while the trainee was hidden under his bed -having not been seen by the attackers.The second incursion was at the home of the Chief of Command, the Guard Mathe MUKENYERA Aimé. The attackers succeeded in taking a weapon as well as other valuable items.

The third incursion was at the home of Guard Mulondi, the attackers took off with another weapon and other valuable items, and shot two bullets into the left leg of Mulondi because he refused to give up his weapon.

The fourth incursion was at the home of the First Officer, they stole the Motorola of the station and other goods of value. They fired two shots at the trainee who had passed the night in the bedroom .

The homes of Guards PALUKU MAKELE and KAMBALE MANGINDA were also pillaged, but the guards were able to make off with their weapons. All goods of value were taken.

After having taken two weapons and pillaging the sub-station of Mount Thsiabirimu, the First Officer Fabien MONJA was taken hostage, and taken in the direction of KALIBINA.

Arrival at KALIBINA was at 8 am. The attackers took another weapon, as well as all valuable belongings of the trackers, guards and those who work for the Gorilla Organisation.

After KALIBINA, the group, composed of guards, trackers and attackers, went towards the Camp NGAI Patrol Post in single file.

Arrival at camp NGAI was at roughly 10 am, the attackers took three weapons and other valuable items of the guards.

After having attacked three out of the six Patrol Posts on Mount Tshiabirimu, the assailants rested at Camp NGAI between 10 am and 6 pm, attentive for an attack.

During all this time, the hostages were imprisoned in the straw hut at Camp NGAI until 5:40 pm. At this time they were released and obliged to return along the road to KALIBINA, and all of the women from the Camp NGAI Patrol Post were headed towards the village of NGITSHE.

The attackers stayed along at the Patrol Post until the fall of night, there destination after this time is unknown.

II. CONCLUSION

• Their mission was to weaken the guards of the Park by taking their arms, so that the population are able to cultivate easily within the park boundaries.

• The objective of the attack is to let the population cultivate freely within the park. According to them, Mount Tshiabirimu is not a park.

• According to them, the population around Mount Tshiabirimu suffer from malnutrition, and these fields would help improve this situation.

• As a challenge, as long as the population are not able to cultivate inside the park, then the guards of the park will never be in peace.

• They one day plan an attack on Mutsora and the Kasindi Sector.

Butembo, le 22 mai 2007

ANNEXE

LIST OF THOSE TAKEN HOSTAGE 20th May 2007

1. Officier Fabius MONYA
2. Inspecteur SAFARI Roland
3. KAVEMBERE Ephrem
4. KITSUMBURA Jean-Marie
5. KAKULE NYERERE Samuel
6. KIVIKWAMO
7. MUHINDO KIHURANIA
8. KASEREKA KITEGHA Guillaume
9. Garde MAKELELE ISUKA
10. Garde KAZI
11. Travailleur MUTSUVA
12. KAYISUMBA KATAPS
And three women and children.