gorilla.cd
Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Little Reminders that the Forest was a Frontline
It is calm at the moment, so it is easy to forget that only a few months ago Bukima was the scene of intense fighting between the CNDP and the Congolese Army troops. I remember being woken up one morning in Rumangabo to the sound of shelling- I walked to a hill and looked out towards the Mikeno and saw that it was coming from tanks parked on the main road near Rugari. They were lobbing mortars onto these very hills around Bukima. (watch video)
But sometimes I see little reminders in the forest:
Helmet left behind at the old camp in Bukima
CNDP Jacket in the park
Military bivouac in the park near Bukima
Ration tins
Leave a Reply
-
RECENT DONATIONS
-
20 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 76 for one month
Kevin 25 $ - 20 Mar 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 20 Mar 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 30 $ -
20 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 53 for one month
Maria O 25 $ - 20 Mar 2010 Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 60 $ - 19 Mar 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 19 Mar 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 15 $ -
19 Mar 2010Open donation
Terry S 10 $ -
19 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 39 for one month
Bill W 25 $ -
19 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 34 for one month
Cherez T 25 $ - 18 Mar 2010 Multiple items
Unregistered Donor 22 $ - 18 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 67 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 18 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 17 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 17 Mar 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 30 $ - 17 Mar 20102 x Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 30 $ - 17 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 33 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
17 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 218 for one month
Thierry 25 $ -
16 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 89 for one month
andrew 25 $ - 16 Mar 2010Briquette Program
Unregistered Donor 12 $ - 16 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 46 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 16 Mar 20102 x Briquette Program
60 $ -
16 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 210 for one month
Hector F 25 $ -
15 Mar 20102 x Salary Supplement for a Ranger
Deborah L 80 $ - 15 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 200 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
15 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 56 for one month
Brenton H 25 $ -
15 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 35 for one month
Theresa S 25 $ -
15 Mar 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Vanessa N 10 $ -
15 Mar 20101 Briquette Stove
Alberto G 7 $ - 15 Mar 2010financing bukima Open donation
Vanessa N 20 $ -
15 Mar 2010Open donation
Erica 500 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 193 for one month
Raemonde B 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 41 for one month
Theresa S 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 36 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 60 for one month
Danny M 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 3 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 109 for one month
Gillian 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 43 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 42 for one month
Robert W 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 21 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 69 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 24 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 64 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 314 for one month
Wolfgang 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 310 for one month
Wolfgang 25 $ - 14 Mar 2010Support the Gorilla Orphans
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 14 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 126 for one month
Unregistered Donor 25 $ -
13 Mar 2010Protecting area no. 164 for one month
Lynn H 25 $ - 13 Mar 2010Open donation
Unregistered Donor 10 $ - 13 Mar 2010Briquette Program
Sasha A 12 $ -
13 Mar 20102 x Briquette Program
Philippa T 24 $
-
-
-
News from Congo- DR Congo could win debt relief deal by June: IMF - Reuters
- Media for Liberty Award Honors '60 Minutes' 'Congo Gold' - CNNMoney.com (press release)
- Congo: Soldiers Seize Wounded Patients at Gunpoint - New York Times
- Kobe gets a court in the Congo - ProBasketballTalk (blog)
- Paris Club agrees Congo Republic debt relief - Reuters South Africa
- Mazembe suffer Champions Lge loss - BBC Sport
- WFP launches airlift to help DR.Congo refugees in Congo - AFP
- A Chat with Congo Cash - Lakers.com
- DR Congo could win debt relief deal by June- IMF - The Punch
- Republic of Congo, South Africa: African Bond, Currency Preview - 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.
5 Responses to “Little Reminders that the Forest was a Frontline”
Pierre, what’s the situation with land mines? I remember reading a while back that some roads were land mined but what about in the actual park?
s.
Hey Sheryl- you are right: everyone last year was saying that the road up to Bukima was mined. However, when Innocent drove it for the first time in more than a year, it was fine. I think the mines thing was a red herring. In the park, the only mine story I know is of an ICCN car that hit one on the path to Ishango. That was a long time ago though, and I think that mines haven’t been used here in a while. But I may be wrong…
Interesting … I hope you’re right and that they’ve gone out of fashion.
s.
Seriously, let’s hope nobody comes across those horrid things. These pictures are kind of eerie. Especially the one of the jacket, just laying across the foliage. I hope the peace and calm is here to stay. Thanks Pierre.
[...] For example, there is a trail called Chabahata which was used by the CNDP rebels during the war. As I described in a post back in February, the rebels left behind a lot of trash, especially around a camp they had set up as a field [...]