Rebels Re-Take Entire Gorilla Sector Filed under (Mountain Gorillas, Threats) by Gorilla Protection @ 03:01 am 07 Oct

This is Samantha at WildlifeDirect.

Director Mushenzi just called me from Rumangabo. I am in Goma. The rebels have re-taken the entire Mikeno Sector (see map in previous post). In other words the Gorilla Sector is now totally under rebel control and all the Mountain Gorillas of DR Congo are unprotected and unmonitored.

The rebels have actually made progress west of the sector to the main road that goes from Goma to Rumangabo to Rutshuru – to a place called Rugari. So Rumangabo may potentially get cut off from Goma. This of course is where many Rangers are based, and where all the Rangers who have been forced to flee their patrol posts are camping out.

The Director is assessing the situation and I will update you as soon as I hear anything else.

I don’t know if there is any reporting about this on the internet. It has literally just all happened.

Samantha

Update at 11am DR Congo time: Director Mushenzi has just told me they can hear heavy shelling at Bukima from where they are at Rumangabo and that he and the Rangers have taken the decision to evacuate all valuable equipment, like GPS’, binoculars, V-sat etc. to Goma. Samantha

Update at 18h30 DR Congo time: Norbert and his rangers have managed to evacuate valuable equipment from Rumangabo. It got distributed between the NGOs that have storage space. I got GPS’, sleeping bags, a generator, a couple of printers and some other boxes. I am wondering who got the satellite dish.

We are keeping track of the situation. Samantha