Congo Rangers

Category: Crises, Hippos | Date: Oct 30 2006 | By: admin

What the Mai Mai do to Rangers Patrol Posts

The situation at Muramba is now calm, and only one of the three Advance Force troops still remains at Ishango. Their mission is to continue to provide protection to the small group of rangers at Ishango from any further Mai Mai attacks. I have just spoken with Elie Mundima, the Advance Force Commander, and he believes the situation is now stable and will be pulling his troop out on Wednesday to join his two other troops at Mutsora.

With voting now over, the Advance Force are starting to think about moving south to Rwindi in order to put pressure on the Mai Mai, but they are still unsure as to whether they will receive the support they are so desperate for from MONUC, the UN Peace Keeping Force for DRC. To help put pressure diplomatic pressure on MONUC, UNESCO has agreed to write an official letter to William Swing, the UN’s Special Representative for the DRC, requesting that he gives the operation to dislodge the Mai Mai from the park his highest priority.

Whether or not the UN is forthcoming, the Advance Force is keen to get stuck in. They know what is at stake if they do not act now, and for these brave men, the total extirpation of hippos form their park would be an unacceptable loss. I will travel up to Mutsora later this week to meet with Elie and the other members of the Advance Force to see how their preparations are coming along. In the meantime, I will meet with MONUC here on the ground and see whether I can muster any support from the new UN General. He must appreciate that the rangers will be going in, but they need UN support.