gorilla.cd
Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Strange Times
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
-
30 Jul 2010 Multiple items
Alexandra S 60 $ -
30 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 45
Pascal 25 $ -
29 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 212
Helmut Albert P 25 $ -
28 Jul 2010Open donation
Laura S 100 $ - 28 Jul 2010Briquette Program
Liz W 12 $ -
28 Jul 2010Open donation
Juli&Family R 10 $ - 28 Jul 2010 Guarding a Gorilla
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 28 Jul 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ -
28 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 211
Louise M 25 $ - 27 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 20
Jessica 25 $ - 27 Jul 2010Patrol Rations
Caroline 15 $ - 27 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 179
Caroline 25 $ - 27 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 40 $ - 27 Jul 2010Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Unregistered Donor 40 $ -
27 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 71
Bernard B 25 $ - 27 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 30 $ - 26 Jul 2010Fuel for Patrols
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 26 Jul 2010 Guarding a Gorilla
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 26 Jul 2010Briquette Program
Unregistered Donor 20 $ - 25 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 141
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 25 Jul 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ -
25 Jul 2010 Guarding a Gorilla
Theresa S 10 $ - 25 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ -
25 Jul 2010 Guarding a Gorilla
Brenton H 10 $ -
25 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 206
Ryan B 25 $ -
25 Jul 2010Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Mark L 40 $ - 24 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 50 $ - 24 Jul 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 24 Jul 2010 Guarding a Gorilla
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 23 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - 23 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ -
23 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 55
Pirjo 25 $ -
23 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 70
Rebecca T 25 $ - 23 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 61
Pirjo 25 $ - 23 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 112
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 23 Jul 2010 Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 22 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 6
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 22 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 13
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 22 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 28
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 22 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 38
scott l 25 $ -
22 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 109
Gillian 25 $ -
21 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 48
Vanessa C 25 $ - 21 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 100 $ - 21 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 217
Suzannah 25 $ -
20 Jul 2010Protecting Park Area 76
Kevin 25 $ -
20 Jul 2010Open donation
Vanessa 10 $ - 19 Jul 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 19 Jul 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 15 $ - 19 Jul 2010 Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 82 $ - 19 Jul 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Josephine B 10 $
-
-
-
News from Congo- Congo Boat Accident Possibly Claimed 140 Lives - Seer Press
- Vodacom Held 'Promising' Talks With Congo's Kabila Over Venture - BusinessWeek
- Nearly 90000 People Uprooted By Clashes In Eastern DR Congo - Bernama
- Why recent US 'conflict minerals' legislation may not help in eastern Congo - Christian Science Monitor
- Motorola spent $880000 lobbying in second quarter - The Associated Press
- Uphill task to solve Congo's conflict minerals - Reuters Africa
- Nokia spent $150000 on lobbying in second quarter - The Associated Press
- Mvelaphanda Holdings's Willcox Advising Zuma's Nephew on Congo Oil Blocks - Bloomberg
- Democratic Republic of Congo: Militia Leader Ordered Back to Jail - New York Times
- DiManno: Too easy to blame Africa's the white usurpers - Toronto Star
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