Archive for December, 2007
This is Samantha. I am now officially on vacation. I will be back early January - I don’t have my ticket yet but it will be by the 10th.
My 1st anniversary with WildlifeDirect will be on 10th January. That was when I did the first press release about the killing of Karema. That seems an age ago.
It has been an incredible year - and you have all been here to experience, witness, support, cry… and enjoy. I know it hasn’t always been cheerful - and next year will also bring challenges and frustrations. But I feel like we are all in this together. And that makes all the difference.
Thank you, Happy Holidays - and see you in 2008.
Samantha
I went to the health clinic yesterday to check up on how things were going and to deliver more supplies. I had not been since I took a lot of new equipment on 16th Nov that was purchased with some of the donations I received from you all.
In a bizarre coincidence, this clinic is RIGHT NEXT to the IDP camp that will be set up by the UNHCR for the 4,000 plus Kibumba refugees for whom we are trying to raise the $20,000 for fuel wood. It quite literally could not be any closer. So at least we know that the IDPs have relatively good access to a medical service.
The clinic staff told me they have been very busy already as civilians fleeing the fighting have moved toward Goma. Often, before going to IDP camps, civilians will stay with family members.
This is some of the supplies we have already provided with your donations - blankets, water filters, oil lamps, gynecological scissors etc.
Then I left more stuff - which I get them all to sign for.
This is what I left: oil lamps, chlorine, other cleaning fluids, blankets, laryngoscope, otoscope, oil lamp fuel, soap, brooms, mops, rags, buckets etc.
I saw Josephine on my way out. You can see her daughter’s foot just sticking out behind her! Josephine remember was the first one I met in early October when I decided to launch the appeal for the mattress for the delivery bed. Josephine lives with her husband and 6 children, but because of the fighting family members are staying with them. So now instead of 8 in a small house, they are 18.
I still have money left from your donations, about $800. So when I return from vacation in January I will go back up there and see what they need. I had received more donations originally than I requested, which of course is fantastic - but this is not a bottomless pit so I want to make sure I spend the money on what they really need. So spreading it out over a period of time I think is the best way. For example they will probably need more cleaning supplies etc.
Thank you everyone.
Samantha
Well both.
My male cat Mikeno (yes, named after the volcano) needed neutering. He has started to wander to find females - and that’s not good. Cats are eaten here. And I don’t want him to end up in a cooking pot.
So Dr Lucy from MGVP came to my house yesterday from Rwanda to carry out the surgery, with Dr Eddie. She was coming anyway to check on the gorilla orphans. Mikeno wasn’t that pleased with the whole thing, obviously, but I guess he doesn’t really know what happened yet. Lucy said it takes a while for the testosterone levels to start falling.
Lucy brought all the kit with her. We did have one glitch. Lucy could only find one testicle.
Just before the op.
That’s how we spend Friday nights in DRC.
Samantha
Anderson Cooper wrote yesterday on his blog that the Mountain Gorilla story (that came out on CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday) will air tonight on 360. Not sure about times - but do watch if you missed it last time: Kings of Congo. Thanks Jo Ann and Theresa for the heads up. Samantha
These people clearly didn’t.
Photo taken at the weekend in Mutwanga, not far from the park station and WildlifeDirect office in Mutsora.
Samantha
Human Rights Watch Press Release DR Congo: Warring Sides Must Protect Civilians UN Peacekeepers Must Also Help Civilians at Risk in North Kivu
(Brussels, December 11, 2007) - All sides to the renewed fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo must protect civilians at risk, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also called on United Nations peacekeepers in the area to strengthen their civilian protection efforts.
In the eastern province of North Kivu, the Congolese army last week launched a major military offensive against dissident soldiers loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda. Government troops advanced close to the town of Kirolirwe, one of Nkunda’s strongholds in Masisi territory, some 35 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital of Goma. According to UN figures, Kirolirwe harbors an estimated 45,000 civilians, the majority of whom are ethnic Tutsi.
Nkunda, himself a Tutsi, says he is fighting to protect the Tutsi population against ethnically motivated attacks from other Congolese groups and from a Rwandan opposition force called the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (Forces démocratiques de la libération du Rwanda, FDLR), some of whose leaders participated in the anti-Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
In recent days Nkunda’s troops put up stiff resistance and, at latest report, had driven government troops back from earlier gains to positions near the town of Sake, location of many previous battles.
“Under the laws of war, government and rebel forces alike must protect civilians during military operations,” said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch. “But almost every time these belligerents have fought each other, they have killed, raped and looted civilians. These abuses must stop.”
On December 7, provincial authorities and military officials urged Kirolirwe residents to flee to zones under government control, but they failed to provide information on evacuation arrangements or ensure that the humanitarian needs of the displaced civilians would be met. On Sunday, a UN humanitarian mission visited Kirolirwe to examine possible alternatives, but to date no solution has been found.
The laws of war call on all parties to a conflict to give effective advance warning of attacks that affect the civilian population. Warring parties must take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians, and they must protect civilians under their control against the effects of attacks. They must allow and facilitate humanitarian aid for civilians in need.
Civilians, many of whom have already fled hostilities in their home areas to the south, fear that if they flee Kirolirwe protected by Nkunda’s forces, they and their livestock will be attacked by a militia called the Coalition of Congolese Patriotic Resistance (Patriotes résistants du Congo, PARECO) or by the FDLR. Both PARECO and FDLR combatants are said to have joined recent operations by Congolese government troops against Nkunda’s forces.
Away from the front lines, armed groups continue to prey on the local population with impunity. A hospital in Masisi reported daily arrivals of civilians who have been the victims of violent attacks, including women and girls who have been raped. Near Chamarambo, for example, a 13-year-old girl was gang raped at gun point by three combatants she identified as part of PARECO. In the same area, three women were raped and then shot, one fatally. Near Mianja, a man was shot in both legs by unidentified armed men for refusing to hand over a goat.
All parties to the conflict in North Kivu - including the Congolese army, troops under the command of Nkunda, and combatants from the FDLR and PARECO - have committed serious crimes against civilians, including killings, rape, forced displacement, looting and the use of child soldiers. In a detailed report published in October, Human Rights Watch documented abuses against civilians during 18 months of armed conflict.
The recent combat has increased local hostility against the Congolese Tutsi population, seen by other groups as the main supporters of Nkunda. But Tutsi civilians have also suffered displacement and abuse, including from those who claim to be protecting them.
Since late 2006, the conflict in North Kivu has displaced some 400,000 persons, adding to the burden on humanitarian agencies already trying to assist hundreds of thousands of others displaced by earlier stages of the fighting. In recent weeks, the growing insecurity and heavy rains have made it more difficult for humanitarian agencies to deliver assistance and have slowed commercial traffic between population centers in Masisi and Rutshuru territories, driving up prices and further increasing vulnerability.
UN peacekeepers have a mobile base in Kirolirwe in addition to bases in other locations in North Kivu and say they will remain as long as civilians are at risk. There are currently more than 17,000 UN peacekeeping troops in Congo, with some 4,500 based in North Kivu. Their mandate includes protecting civilians, including by the use of armed force if necessary. In the recent past, UN troops have pulled out of combat areas in North Kivu when they believed their own lives were at risk.
This week, UN Security Council members in New York will begin discussing the renewal of the mandate of the UN mission in Congo, known as MONUC (Mission de l’ONU en RD Congo). The mandate is due to expire on December 31.
“Security Council members must ensure the blue helmets in Congo have a strong mandate to protect vulnerable civilians and the means to carry it through,” said Van Woudenberg. “Those who have suffered so much in these years of war must not be abandoned when the fighting draws near.”
To view the October 2007 Human Rights Watch report, “Renewed Crisis in North Kivu,” please visit: http://hrw.org/reports/2007/drc1007/
Last week I blogged about Eddie the donkey in Garamba. Well Garamba National Park is known not just for Eddie, as I said, but also for hippos. This is what they look like from the air, lolling in the shallow waters at a spot on the Dungu River called Maternite (mat-er-ni-teh), a stone’s throw from the park station at Nagero.
We were in a Cessna 206.
The hippos are in the bottom left of the photo.
The pods co-habitate with enormous crocodiles, as they do in Ishango.
The waters are relatively shallow.
This is how close you can get when you are on the ground - I took this from the banks of the river.
Samantha
Vanessa at Happy Hollow Zoo in California has just told me that $4,000 has been raised for the Congo Rangers from an Electronic Waste Collection Day held recently. Obviously living in DR Congo you don’t really think about this kind of waste - so when I explain it to the Rangers they are a little bemused. People here still don’t have anything electronic - apart from phones of course - so the mere thought of actual electronic waste is alien. We just all stood around shaking our heads together.
Thank you Vanessa and all of you at Happy Hollow Zoo for your continued support, encouragement and friendship. Happy Hollow Zoo already supports Elie, the Commander of the Advance Force. Vanessa was actually one of our very first supporters way back in January!
Here is Vanessa’s email: “We held an Electronic Waste collection Day for you all on October 20th. This is a fairly new type of event, even in California! Folks had the chance to come and drop off their unwanted electronic waste such as; computers, monitors, televisions, microwaves, stereos, fax machines, and cables and cords. We collected 32,811 lbs. of electronic waste! 547 CRT’s (monitors and TV’s, the most toxic items), had 515 cars and raised $3932 for you all - which we will round up to $4000.
I have included photos so you can get an idea of the type of event it was. It was a great deal of fun and more then once you could hear us saying, “Now that’s a BIG TV!” Please give my best to everyone and again know that we are here thinking of you all and all that you do!”
Remember I blogged on 26th November requesting a laptop for Godefroid Wambale, a Ranger here in DR Congo. He also did a video post on his blog about this request. Well - it looks like he is going to get a laptop, and all thanks to Debbie in the US! Here is an extract of her email earlier this week: Hi Samantha,
I have just started two non profits as well as I am trying to start up a profit business, so anything easier helps. I just wanted you to know that I think Godefroid is an incredible person and like I said earlier, we have been talking via email and I love reading his letters. I am so happy that I could help him out and also told him to come visit when ever he wants. He can stay with my family and we will take care of him and show him around. He has also told me he will show me his mountain and beautiful wildlife if I can ever make it to visit my Gorillas. I told him It is my dream to come to Africa and if I do I will take him up on it. I wanted to thank you for helping to bring this new and wonderful friend into my life. I appreciate all that you and the brave rangers do to help our planet. Lord knows we need it. I have also started publicizing the fact that this horrible violence you have now in DR Congo and surrounding countries needs to be addressed more aggressively ( I dont know if you read this but BBC had an article about an 11 month old baby, the victim of a rape has just recently died. 11 MONTHS OLD how horrible) and have looked into some fund raising ideas for Godefroid and for Innocent and Diddy’s men. I plan on starting a campaign page for both causes when I can figure out a really good way to make some money for them. Well I’m glad to here your trip went OK, I hope Innocent and Diddy fare well on their trip to Nariobi as well. I will see which is the best way to send the Laptop and on Friday (my husband gets paid on Thursday) I will send it straight away. I have already informed him of this expense and told him it can be my Christmas present from him so no worries about the cost. I am just grateful this will all work out and my new friend will have the laptop he so desperately needs. Thanks again,
Thank you so very much Debbie, and to your husband who is foregoing his Xmas present. This is absolutely fantastic. I am sure I am not the only one stunned by your wonderful generosity. All we have to do now is figure out the shipping. I will then bring it to Godefroid in January - and he will be independently blogging! THANK YOU. Samantha
You will remember that at the end of October Anderson Cooper and his CBS 60 Minutes team came to film in DR Congo regarding the crisis in the Gorilla Sector. I blogged about it.
Well the program will air on Sunday!
Check out the link below for more info and a preview! Samantha
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