Congo Rangers

Category: Crises, Hippos | Date: Oct 11 2006 | By: admin

The UN have agreed to carry out anti-poaching patrols at Nyakakoma in the Virunga National Park to help stem the catastrophic hippo poaching.  In a meeting with Colonel Shivrain this afternoon, he agreed to deploy a company of MONUC peacekeepers on a two day patrol to help put pressure on the Mai Mai to reduce the level of poaching.  He has also agreed to try and encourage Mai Mai leader Col Mosubu back to the table for discussions after he boycotted a meeting to discuss the problem last Sunday. 

While anti-poaching operations are not in the official UN mandate, the hippo poaching has now got so out of control that the UN have had to step in.  The Mai Mai are poaching on average 150 hippos a week in what the UN commander believes is a last ditch effort to gather as much ivory as possible before the elections take place at the end of the month. 

 

Colonel Shivrain of MONUC’s Indian Batallion

Once the elections have passed, the Mai Mai will be forced to accept integration into the Congolese army or demobilisation into civil society.  If they resist either, they will be removed from the equation.  However it seems that the Mai Mai are heavily supported by the Interehamwe who are much stronger and better resourced, and MONUC are concerned that any punitive action taken right now against the Mai Mai could impact negatively on the upcoming elections, the countries first for over 40 years.  In the mean time, sit tight!  But for how long?