Congo Rangers

Category: Active Service, Crises, Mountain Gorillas | Date: Dec 16 2006 | By: admin

I was in Rumangabo this morning (HQ of the gorilla sector) where Elie, Ben, the team from Ricochet, and two sections of the Advance Force were about to help escort a group of rangers and their families back to their Patrol Post at Bukima. 

 

Bukima was the only patrol post that had not been occupied by either the military or rebel troops during the fighting ten days ago.  However, less than an hour before we were due to set off, a group of UN Peacekeepers came tearing up the drive in their jeep reporting mass evacuation from a nearby village. 

Aloma Zephor was immediately instructed by Elie to get into civilian clothes and take a motorbike to Bukima to see whether it had been occupied.  He returned an hour later to confirm that Nkunda’s troops had based themselves there, the local communities had fled the area, and he had just passed a vehicle from the 2nd Integrated Brigade from Beni loaded with heavy weapons heading in the direction of the patrol post. 

Clearly this was not something for the Advance Force to get involved in, but there are huge concerns amongst the rangers for the safety and welfare of the gorilla groups near Bukima patrol post - especially the Kabirizi group of 33 individuals with a newborn just a couple of weeks old. 

Unfortunately the risk to the gorillas isn’t just from stray bullets, but also from rockets and grenades… the Congolese army clearly mean business, but unfortunately they are up against a well trained and well equipped rebel group and it’s not going to be easy.  Only time will tell if the gorillas make it through unscathed.