Gorillas, Kahuzi-Bíega National Park, South Kivu, DRC
Mont Kahuzi (République Démocratique du Congo)
Le mont KAHUZI (3308 m) fait partie de la chaîne des Mitumba qui borde le côté occidental du rift est-africain et dont le lac Kivu avec d'autres (Tanganyika, Albert, Edouard) occupent le fond. C'est le domaine des gorilles des plaines orientales, dans le Parc National de Kahuzi-Biega, situé à 45 mn de route de Bukavu (Sud Kivu).
Arrival at Kahuzi Biega National Park DR Congo April 2019
High-stakes conflict threatens DR Congo gorillas | AFP
In the forests of Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bonané and other endangered eastern lowland gorillas are at the heart of a conflict. Their home is a haven in the province of South Kivu - a battleground for rival militias for a quarter of a century. For the past year, park rangers have been at war with Pygmy leaders. The indigenous leaders claim that they were robbed of their ancestral lands in the 1970s when the park was extended.
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Parc des Virunga - R.D. CONGO
Le parc des Virunga et plus particulièrement la Rwindi, avant les troubles que rencontre la Région du Kivu. Il y avait plusieurs milliers d'éléphants, entre 16.000 et 20.000 hippopotames, des milliers de buffles et d'antilopes, des centaines de lions. Le lac Edouard était un des plus poissonneux du monde grâce à la présence des hippopotames. Les hippopotames massacrés, les poissons du lac et de la Rutshuru disparurent en grande partie. C'est une catastrophe écologique majeure, et le programme de recherche pétrolière va certainement donner le coup de grâce à ce merveilleux parc.
DAWLADA CONGO OO KA BAXDAY DHEXDHEXAADINTII FALAAGADA M23
Biakatu - village in Ituri, DRC
Town 60 kms from Beni in Ituri province. Accessible from Mambasa, Ituri but difficult/poor road
Citizen militia group seizes control of parts of territory, forcing out rebels
(10 Sep 2012) In the troubled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a citizens' militia group has seized control of several large pockets of territory, forcing out rebel groups who have terrorised the population over past decades.
The Raia Mutomboki, local dialect for Angry Citizens, say they are just a patriotically minded group set up to protect villagers.
UN human rights monitors have expressed concern at the group's rise amidst a security vacuum in the east of DRC, and say its members have been involved in serious human rights violations.
On the outskirts of the Kahuzi Biega National Park in South Kivu province lies the little village of Nduma.
For years the population of this remote settlement was caught up in the fighting between the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) and the national armed forces (FARDC).
The FDLR, comprising remnants of the Hutu forces responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, was in particular known for their merciless reprisals against civilians who refused to cooperate with them.
After an alleged massacre of villagers by the FDLR last year, villagers say they decided to defend themselves.
So the Raia Mutomboki was formed, and groups have sprung up in villages around south Shabunda district.
Although less well armed than the militarily structured FDLR, the Raias use their extensive knowledge of the terrain to mount effective retaliation.
Their methods are no less cruel however, and the fighters, armed with machetes and spears, have attacked the families of FDLR fighters, pushing the experienced rebel group onto the defensive.
That is a result the national army hasn't been able to achieve for years.
The Raia Mutomboki leadership has since decided it is not only the FDLR that must be fought, but all Rwandaphones.
That means some units of the Congolese armed forces and other armed groups have been targeted.
As they expand their operations outside the borders of Shabunda, the Raia Mutomboki are clashing more often with FARDC units and there have been reports of them forming alliances with other armed groups.
Although modern weapons of war haven't found their way in big numbers into the ranks of this self defence group, their fast advance and tactical capabilities cause many experts to expect another source of insecurity in the future.
The great difficulty is that when the government soldiers came back at the time of the redeployment.. the Raia Mutomboki did not accept willingly the powers of the army of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) which had a mandate to defend the territorial integrity of the nation and protect the population, says Eric Bywanu Babunga, head administrator in the mining town of Lulingu.
Many young fighters of the Raia Mutomboki consider themselves patriots and are deeply connected to the legends and lore of their tribe.
They keep some skulls of their own casualties to remind them why they keep defending the land of their forefathers against Rwandan intrusions.
But the complicated net of ethnicities in this area makes it difficult to determine who is Congolese and who is not, raising fears that the situation could spin out of control.
Signs of such an escalation could be seen after a notorious FARDC commander attacked the village of Nduma in May 2012, killing several people in retaliation for the alleged murder of his family by members of the Raia Mutomboki who mistook him for a Rwandan.
The Raia's deputy commander Juriste Kikuni denies the accusation of tribalism and claims the group was formed to defend all Congolese.
The government has abandoned us, the international community has abandoned us. So, what was needed? We organised ourselves, Kikuni says.
Many observers are not convinced.
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State of the Gorilla - John Kahekwa of Kahuzi Biega on recent vegetation changes (YoG interview)
The absence of gorillas and elephants has caused the vegetation in Kahuzi Biega National Park, Eastern DRC, to change. Year of the Gorilla Ambassador Ian Redmond talked to John Kahekwa about this phenomenon and what it means for the park's ecosystem.
RDC: affrontements entre Pygmées et gardes du Parc national de Kahuzi
Le parc national de Kahuzi dans le Sud-Kivu est le théâtre d'affrontements entre les peuples pygmées et les écogardes chargés de veiller à la protection de cette réserve naturelle. Un écogarde a été tué.
Landing at Monkoto Airstrip, Salonga National Park, DR Congo
Landing at Monkoto Airstrip, Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Air Serv's Cessna 208 (N208PA) flew us to Monkoto from Kinshasa.
Video by John Sidle/U.S. Forest Service/CARPE (October 6, 2006).
Sake Village Democratic Congo
Sake Village, near Goma, Congo has been in the middle of the African Civil War during the last few years.
With a tentative peace in place, villagers have returned to find their homes gone and crops destroyed. However, their church was left in place and is the center of the rebuilding community. This shows the village gathering to greet us. Notice the bouncing soccer balls in the background.
This is the village where we've committed to put in a crop of snap beans for the entire resident population. ($700USD)
CONGO: UPRISING IN EASTERN KIVU PROVINCE CONTINUES UNABATED
French/Nat
The week-long uprising in the eastern Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo is continuing unabated, with Tutsi rebels already in control of several key cities in the region.
The Tutsi gunmen launched their offensive on August 2nd, vowing to topple president Laurent Kabila who they helped to power only 14 months ago.
The mutinous Tutsi commanders in Goma have repudiated Kabila's accusations that the rebels are being reinforced and supplied by Rwandan.
In just eight days rebel soldiers have secured a sizeable portion of Congo's eastern region in the face of limited resistance from Kabila's loyal government troops.
The streets of Goma, one of the region's largest cities, were peaceful on Monday, patrolled in large numbers by heavily armed rebels.
However, people are not regarding them as an army of occupation.
It was in this area of the country that Congolese ethnic Tutsis, aided by Rwanda's Tutsi-led army, spearheaded a seven-month revolt in 1996-97 that ousted veteran dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.
His shoes were filled by Laurent Kabila who was feted as a hero and hailed as the man who had rid the country, then called Zaire, of an evil despot.
Over the last 14 months Kabila's allies in the country have become generally disenchanted with him, and their fragile alliance has now crumbled completely.
At this checkpoint on the Congo-Rwanda border, a Rwandan and a Congolese shake hands.
The ethnic links between the two men's countries are very strong, and this has led credence to rumours that the Congo rebels are being armed and reinforced by Rwanda.
These accusations have been made by President Kabila himself, although Rwanda has denied any involvement in the conflict, save the supply of moral support.
Sylvan Biku, Chief information officer in Goma, is confident that Kabila will be toppled, the only question is, how?
SOUNDBITE:(French)
Well, Kabila's going to leave whether he wants to or not but it would be better for him if he negotiated his departure at least in an honourable way
SUPER CAPTION: Sylvan Biku, Chief information officer, mutinous 10th battalion
Biku, an officer with the mutinous tenth battalion, was the man who formally announced the breakaway of the military in the east of the country.
He also denies any Rwandan involvement, and claims that the rebels have a larger force than anything Rwanda has.
SOUNDBITE:(French)
I told you we didn't meet any resistance anywhere and even if we do run into resistance there are enough of us, in Goma we have 19 battalions in Bukavu we have 12 battalions, what would the Rwandans be doing here. I think our brigade has more soldiers than Rwanda.
SUPER CAPTION: Sylvan Biku, Chief information officer, mutinous 10th battalion
The people of Goma have no idea what is going on in their city. They're not sure who the rebels are, or what they plan to do next.
VOXPOP: (French)
We don't know really know who is who, who are they ? We continue our lives. We'll find out who they are
SUPERCAPTION: Goma resident
People are generally confused about the events of the uprising and it would appear that the arrival of the rebels in the city is not universally condemned.
VOXPOP: (French)
They are the sons of this country, who formed a coalition for our liberation
SUPERCAPTION: Goma resident
Laurent Kabila has already sent reinforcements to the west of the country to combat an uprising there, and it's thought he'll follow suit and deploy troops to the east very soon.
Kabila is concerned that if, as he suspects, Rwanda is backing the Tutsi uprising he could soon have a large and powerful Tutsi enclave within his country.
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Hotel Horizon at Night Bukavu DR Congo April 2019
route Bukavu Miti Bunyakiri praticable Action Fatshi
Route Bukavu-Miti-PNKB-Bunyakir. Il y a qlqs mois, nous passions 6h voire 8h sur cette route, surtout partie Parc National de Kahuzi Biega. Elle était déjà en état de délabrement catastrophique. Avant hier j'ai fais 2h de Bukavu à Bunyakiri. Pgm # 100jrs du Président Mathilde Mihigo
Village of The Pygmies in Kinshasa
Video shows the church floor where they sleep and the bad condition and water in the village. Any help is appreciated. sogm.faithweb.com
Amani Safaris Congo
Amani Safaris is a legally registered business with its headquarters in Goma in the east of The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Though Amani Safaris is primarily a tour company, it specializes in ecotours and socially aware tours in the eastern province of DRC.
Amani has always been guided by a philosophy of corporate social responsibility and understanding. As such, it works hard to bring together local communities and third parties, be they NGOs, travellers and tourists or commercial enterprises.
To do this, Amani taps into the network of local, national and international contacts it has made through the many community programs it has helped establish or been involved in over the years of operating in DRC.
As our guest you can tour Virunga National Park, the second oldest national park in the world and one of the most stunningly beautiful places on earth, trek to see endangered mountain gorillas and hike up Nyiragongo, an active volcano with the world's largest lava lake.
With more time, you can head south and visit Kahuzi-Biega National Park where you can view Grauer's gorillas, the larger, lowland-dwelling cousins of the mountain gorilla.
Our experienced guides and drivers will meet you in Goma, DRC or Gisenyi, Rwanda and make sure your trip is safe and the experience of a life time. If you also wish to travel in Rwanda or Uganda, we can make arrangements through our partner tour companies in those
countries. Amani Safaris will assist you in obtaining visas and permits and will also design a tailored program around your interests and travel requirements.
MMR and SAKIMA compound kalima
Samboku village - 40 kms North of Beni , DRC
This is the old n temporary military camp to protect Samboku village - 12 kms from MayMoya, North Kivu. Occupied by Malawi. To stop use of corridor by ADF rebels. Village is end of North Kivu - Ituri province. Presence of UN troops makes locals feel safe and happy
High stakes conflict threatens DR Congo gorillas
In the forests of Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bonané and other endangered eastern lowland gorillas are at the heart of a conflict. Their home is a haven in the province of South Kivu - a battleground for rival militias for a quarter of a century. For the past year, park rangers have been at war with Pygmy leaders. The indigenous leaders claim that they were robbed of their ancestral lands in the 1970s when the park was extended.