Archive for the ‘Life in Mutsora’ Category
The Advance Force’s wives have started today their weekly meeting of the month.
Not everybody could make it, but it seems like a promising start. They have decided to gather together to discuss several issues. A monthly payment of $1 each has been agreed today, and will be saved and used for medical purposes concerning the women and their children.
My wife Beatriz and my son Victor, on their way to their first meeting
Marcika Muangui, secretary adviser on the left, and my wife Beatriz, president of this committee
My Rangers of the Advance Force and myself celebrated Christmas Day in Ishango, away from our families, because we are under training session with Mayor M’Poka.
We had a big meal, cooked a goat, and had a beer each!
Some words from M’Poka while waiting to be served.
That same 25th of December, MONUC officials from India came down to visit us.
Hello, just a short message to tell you my new born baby Victor is doing very well.
Here a picture of Jose and Victor on the back. Jose is a big fan of gorillas and will become a Ranger one day…..
Meet Rebecca, 28 years old, the first girl ever to apply for a position in the Advance Force.
She has become a park Ranger one month ago, and is now training very hard to become one of our team.
After the three month training period with Major M’Poka finishes, will see whether she passes all the exams. We wish her all the best.
Special training has started today for the Rangers of the Advance Force. This images were taking early this morning, physical activities started at 5:30am. And it will be like this for the next three months.
The purpose of this training is to achieve better conservation outcomes, improve the Advance Force’s command and control structures, increase their operational capacities. They will be working on drill, fitness discipline, patrol techniques, shooting, first aid. Training will take place between Mutsora and Ishango.
Joseph Aloma on the far right. This initiative is carried out by FZS, and Major M’Poka has been hired to run the program. He is a Congolese ex Special Forces.
Major M’Poka conducting the training, with the blue tracksuit.
Yesterday we found this viper snake right in front of my house. They are very colorful and robust, and they live in wet places and also in small caves in mountains. The colorful skin of thier body helps them to survive and camouflage.
The bite of the viper snake is so powerful you would need instant medication because you would lose a lot of blood. The enemies of the viper snake are the birds when the snake is small because the birds eat small snakes, rats and humans. The viper snake is endangered because of their soft skin, because it is so smooth that people like to wear it and also have it. They are also endangered because they are interesting and also because people have them dissected. The viper snake is an animal that can have a lot of babies.
I would like to introduce you to my wife Beatrice, my 7 children, plus one on the way. In my tribe Nyanga, big families are respected. Those having only one or two kids are considered to be weak.
Beatrice is due next month. We don’t know the sex, but I would like to have a baby girl. Beatrice is 37 years old. I am 41. She will give birth in Mutwanga Hospital, wich will cost us u$s 20 approximately.
Rachel is my oldest daughter, she goes to secondary school. We pay u$s 20 for the first trimester, and then two more trimesters of u$s 12 each. Sitting next to her is Tony wearing a red shirt. He is eleven years old, and goes to primary school. It costs a little bit less: u$s 8 for the first trimester and then two more trimesters of u$s 5 each. Beside him is Didier, he is 6 years old. Next to him my daughter Olga, 12, who wants to be a ranger! In the pink dress is Lydia who is 7 years of age. Beside Beatrice, with the blue shirt and green stripes, is Richard who is 4 years old. And last but not least, Jose, 2 years and a half. He wants to be a ranger too.
Every chance Jose has, he will grab my boots, hat and radio to dress up like a real ranger!
Down below in the next picture you will see my kids with their friends (sons and daughters of other rangers).
Today I went to visit Kambale Mulonda, the Ranger who was shot in the Mai Mai attack on the gorilla sector of Tshiaberimu at the end of May. Kambale is from Mutsora, so he has come here to continue his recovery. I asked him some questions, and this is what he had to say: How are you feeling? I am feeling better but I still have pain in my leg and take pills every day. I was shot twice, once in the upper thigh and once in the calf, both times in my left leg. The Mai Mai was only about 2 meters away. I have come to Mutsora because this is my home and I want to be with my wife and family to recover. How long will you be off work? I think I will not be able to go to work for about 6 months. That is what the doctors say. I must walk with a crutch still. Do you want to go back to work? Despite what has happened I still like my job. When I first got shot I thought about stopping being a Ranger. But now I want to go back to work. My job is important because I protect animals and nature. I love all animals, especially the gorillas in Tshiaberimu. Where do you want to work? Back in Tshiaberimu? Well we cannot choose where we work. We must move around patrol posts as we are told by our commanders at ICCN. That is how it works. So I will go wherever I am sent. I have been with ICCN for 12 years and worked at many different posts throughout Virunga National Park. Are you afraid of being a Ranger? No. When I was shot I got up to go outside to fight. But there were many Mai Mai and I could see they were waiting for me. But now that I have been shot I am not longer scared of being shot again.
Kambale with his wife and children. He has 8 children.
Here I am helping Kambale get lined up for the photo outside his house.
All his family and friends were looking on as we spoke in his house.
And here Kambale showed me the bullet wounds - you can see one in the thigh and one in the calf. Entry and exit wounds. He is still in pain.
Justin Kisso is the new head of the Rangers here at Mutsora HQ. He is in charge of the Rangers here who are not part of the Advance Force. He has just moved here, and was previously stationed in Bukavu, which is south of Goma in the neighboring province. He has been here a couple of weeks now so is just getting to know the ropes. My men perform a different role to that of regular Rangers. We are deployed throughout Virunga National Park as required by emergencies like the Tshiaberimu attack or the Ishango threat to the hippos. Justin is in charge of Ranger activities that take place at Mutsora itself.
Here is Justin with 3 Advance Force Rangers. On his left is Jules Aloma, leader of Troop 1 who is sponsored by Kevin. Kavusa on the far left is also partially sponsored by Livia at $35 per month.
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.
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