gorilla.cd
Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Strange Times
22 Jan 2009
Filed under (Humanitarian Situation, Political situation, Successes) by Emmanuel @ 1:44 am
You may have read some of the recent reports coming out of Congo. I don’t know how it seems from the outside, but for us living through these events, it started with disbelief, then confusion, followed by amazement. Right now, we don’t dare hope…
Last week Bosco, a very senior CNDP commander, announced a comprehensive ceasefire with the Congolese army. It was unclear if this was the official CNDP position, and many of us didn’t pay that much attention, until it transpired that the Rwandan Chief of Staff was present, together with senior Congolese military officers. That’s an unusual mix. CNDP then formally confirmed the ceasefire.
Yesterday, there were reports of significant Rwandan army movements into Congo. We’ve heard this before, and I don’t always believe it. Rwandan military moving into Congo is not a joking matter. But suddenly, there they were marching past Rumangabo. Several thousand of them, very calmly as if they had been sent over by their wives to buy some milk at the supermarket. That was yesterday’s craziness. Today, truckloads of Congolese military crossed the battlefronts into CNDP territory, and now they’re all hanging out together, Rwandan Army, Congolese Army and the CNDP rebel army. Best buddies.
We don’t dare use the word… peace?
Leave a Reply
-
RECENT DONATIONS
- Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 15 $ -
2 x Patrol Rations
Pirjo 30 $ - Medical Kit
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ -
1 Briquette Stove
Stephen P 7 $ -
Protecting area no. 219 for one month
Christine D 25 $ - Protecting area no. 125 for one month
Karel V 25 $ - Protecting area no. 165 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 132 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 2 x Patrol Rations
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Protecting area no. 2 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
Open donation
Betul A 20 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ -
Open donation
Suzanne M 10 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 100 $ - Protecting area no. 174 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 35 $ -
Multiple items
Lou W 72 $ - Briquette Program
Lou W 30 $ - Briquette Program
Lou W 30 $ -
Protecting area no. 101 for one month
Retrosurfer 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
Open donation
Debbie E 25 $ - Medical Kit
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 100 $ - Ranger Patrols
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 100 $ - Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 70 $ -
Open donation
Garrett Z 100 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 35 $ - Open donation
Retrosurfer 50 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 100 $ -
Protecting area no. 58 for one month
Harry v 25 $ -
Protecting area no. 91 for one month
Ally R 25 $ - Protecting area no. 16 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Fuel for Patrols
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Patrol Rations
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 95 $ - Protecting area no. 217 for one month
25 $ - 2 x Emergency Support to Ranger Widows
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ - 1 Briquette Stove
Unregistered Donor 7 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 20 $ -
Open donation
Elizabeth P 50 $ - Protecting area no. 187 for one month
Corey W 25 $ - Open donation
Maureen B 20 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 45 $ -
Protecting area no. 49 for one month
Minna Maaria K 25 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ -
Briquette Program
Brenton H 12 $ - Protecting area no. 50 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 59 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 15 $ -
Open donation
Mary H 10 $ - Open donation
Caroline 50 $ -
Protecting area no. 31 for one month
De Zutter L 25 $ - Protecting area no. 116 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Patrol Rations
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - Protecting area no. 178 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Briquette Program
Unregistered Donor 12 $ - Patrol Rations
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - Protecting area no. 83 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Protecting area no. 54 for one month
Pirjo 25 $ - Open donation
Alex P 40 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 30 $ - Patrol Rations
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - Briquette Program
Unregistered Donor 30 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ -
Protecting area no. 57 for one month
Zoe M 25 $ -
Protecting area no. 63 for one month
Jane H 25 $ - Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 150 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 150 $ - Protecting area no. 10 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 203 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Briquette Program
Liz W 12 $ -
Open donation
Juli&Family R 10 $ - Multiple items
Shashidhar K 62 $ -
Protecting area no. 30 for one month
Sofie V 25 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Protecting area no. 20 for one month
Jessica 25 $ - Patrol Rations
Caroline 15 $ - Fuel for Patrols
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - Protecting area no. 65 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 1 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ -
Protecting area no. 70 for one month
Rebecca T 25 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 2 x 1 Briquette Stove
Unregistered Donor 14 $ - Protecting area no. 62 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 55 for one month
Pirjo 25 $ - Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - Protecting area no. 66 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - Protecting area no. 61 for one month
Pirjo 25 $
- Open donation
MEET THE TEAM
recent comments
- christine on Baby Gorilla Caught in Snare Dies, Despite Vet Intervention
- Mark from Oregon, U.S. on Baby Gorilla Caught in Snare Dies, Despite Vet Intervention
- Ally on Gorilla’s Face Mangled from Snare Injury
- Marlane Barker on Baby Gorilla Caught in Snare Dies, Despite Vet Intervention
- Samantha on Baby Gorilla Caught in Snare Dies, Despite Vet Intervention
Recent Posts
- Baby Gorilla Caught in Snare..February 8, 2010
- Gorilla’s Face Mangled..February 7, 2010
- Baby Gorilla Caught in a Sna..February 5, 2010
tell a friend
News from Congo
- UN Says 160 Women Raped Each Week in the Congo's Kivu Provinces - BusinessWeek
- One by one, rebels desert from army in Congo - Washington Post
- St. Michael's to host symposium on Congo Wednesday - BurlingtonFreePress.com
- Congo-Kinshasa: Lubanga Witness Says He Was Paid US $200 To Tell Lies - AllAfrica.com
- From 'Oprah' to building a sisterhood in violent Congo - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
- Congo-Kinshasa: ICGLR to Meet On Illegal Exploitation of DRC Minerals - AllAfrica.com
- World Bank injects Shs200b into Nusaf - Daily Monitor
- Katanga posts profit on improving output - Reuters
- From 'Oprah' to Building a Sisterhood in Congo - New York Times
- Congo Lifts Ban on Exports by 16 Mining Companies - BusinessWeek
No administration fee is taken for the funds that are transferred through us so that the financial support, net only of bank fees, can go where it was intended in its entirety.
This website was funded by the European Union and the Prince Bernard Nature Fund.
This website was funded by the European Union and the Prince Bernard Nature Fund.
14 Responses to “Strange Times”
Dear Lord, please let this be the beginning of peace. Go ahead and dare to hope Emmanuel. There is always hope for peace. The Congolese people would not have survived without it. I will continue to pray for peace and the people of Congo.
Wow… How bizarre! We’ve been so tuned in to the inaugural events that this news from Congo did not make it to the front e-pages. But with the changes that are underway here, anything seems possible….
I’ll look for reports now to see what the tone is. Thanks for the update, Emmanuel.
That is very odd! It must be very unsettling. I hope it means peace!
Ntagana is a thug, he would have rushed goma.
This scenario with the flnr being broken by the rwandans and the congolese without the un being allowed in is very bad. Lots of room for more killing of civilians
I dont think goma will be besieged .
It seems like more rock throwing at hornets nests, Even if you dont want hornets it is not the recommended way to proceed> It wont likely mean peace ,more likely an extended war. Most of the fnlr are in south kivu
bosco ntagana
BBC news reporting the troop movements & the barring of UN & aid. Our thoughts are with you all.
Collusion?
s.
The Washington Post had a piece on this development. According to the Post, the Rwandan troops are there to observe as the Hutu militias are disarmed.
You could understand this on one level — the Hutus escaped after the genocide into Congo and are seen by Rwanda as a threat and humiliation. With them remaining powerful in Congo, the Rwandans will always be stirring up instability. If the Congolese govmt forces could disarm the militias and repatriate those that came from Rwanda, the Congolese and Rwandans would both be shot of a source of disruption. The only flaw in the plan is that it is hard to believe that the Hutu militiamen will go quietly to what would undoubtedly be a death sentence for them back in Rwanda.
-because of the 96 genocide against tutsi, Rwandan gov troops have shown they cannot be trusted not to massacre hutu refugees when given the chance.The UN should get in there. I have read that only fifteen hundred of estimated 6000 hutu militia are in the area of Virunga . I hope you miss the worst of it. Unfortunately the aim of the Rwandans may not be to repatriate .but only to break the militias and scatter them further within congo.A better solution would be to give them an escape hole such as dissarmament and resettling within congo far from the border, so they wont feel forced to either fight to the death or flee from the area in small armed groups.
as to repatriation being a death sentence. This is probaby not true. rwanda has a good record on what has happened within its courts. There are currently no death sentences even for those most implicated. It has however a very bad record of massacring hutus within congo rather than repatriating them.
it the end of war in the easten of the DRC, it now time of peace
I fervently hope you are right, Juny. Iris
[...] hours of last night. To be honest, I can’t quite believe how quickly things have moved in the past week and many of us here on the ground are just as confused as you might [...]
-i too think this will be the beginning of the end of this war but the last act will be how the hutu population[40percent] will be treated by the cndp and rdf. Hopefully Kagame is savvy enough to realize the world is watching and has taken precautions good luck junys