Elie Mundima

Category: Out on Patrol | Date: Jun 03 2007 | By: admin

It’s been extremely busy since the Mai Mai attack ten days ago.  This is a quick update that I’m sending through Ephrem Balole, the WildlifeDirect officer who is at Mutsora, the park headquarters for Virunga North. 

One of the successes has been the arrest of five suspects.  Four were arrested five days ago after one of the suspects was found wearing the trousers of Nicolas Vianzire, the wildlife volunteer who was killed at Burusi ten days ago.  He later admitted to being involved in the attack.  One of the four was a former officer in the army who had been demobilised, and subsequently joined the Mai Mai.

 Yesterday, another suspect was arrested, and handed over to the military tribunal in Butembo.  This man is believed to be the right hand of Nguru, the chief of the Mai Mai group that attacked Tshiaberimu, so this could be quite a major development in preventing further attacks on the gorillas, and may bring us some justice for our colleagues who were murdered during the attacks. 

Yesterday a new batch of rations arrived together with jackets and boots (bought with the emergency funds generously provided by you).  Two troops have been deployed on Mount Tshiaberimu.  Troop 1, commanded Aloma Major is with me at Burusi, where the bloody attack took place 10 days ago.  Two days ago we came across poachers’ tracks.  These poachers were pursued but they were unfortunately outside the park before we could catch them.  Troop 2, under the command of Joseph Aloma is patrolling around the Kitolu Patrol Post to the north of Tshiaberimu.   

Troop 1 on patrol around Burusi, near where the attack took place

Troop 3 is at Kalibina, up near the summit of Tshiaberimu.  They are up amongst the mountain gorillas under the command of Kalemo (he is acting commander because Balikwisha was ill with a pulmonary illness).  The area is secure, but it we prefer to take every precaution.