Gearing up 4 Gorillas

G4G does not normally ‘do’ appeals. G4G wants to consistently help the rangers to do their job. This situation is different.

Newly appointed Chief of Virunga National Park, Emmanuel de Merode, is still in Goma. He is trying his damndest to provide food, clean water & shelter to rangers & their families in the camp set up for them a few weeks ago when Kim & I were there. Just the basics.

G4G does not want to distract from the colossal humanitarian crisis developing, but we are asking - now - for your help to look after the rangers and their families.

Over 30 rangers are still missing - unaccounted for - their families are out of their minds in Goma not knowing where their husbands or fathers are.

As you know, these guys give their all for the mtn gorillas and Virunga National Park. Even £1 per week will help - it costs 70p per day to provide food & clean water for the people at the camp.

Please - if you can help - please do.

Please use the donate button…………………

Linda

Chair, G4G

Innocent just called me to say that Bushe Nzabonimpa has arrived at Rusayo, on the edge of the forest just north west of Goma.  He is in a state of exhaustion and dehydration having walked for five days with very little water and no food.  We will pick him up in the morning with a motorbike, as it is now dark in Goma and too dangerous to be outdoors.  One of the families in Rusayo has invited him to stay and will look after him for the night.

Bitege Rwangano arrived earlier, with his wife.  He had been badly beaten up, and his wife was not well, from having walked the agonizing 40 km through the forest.  We have taken them both to the clinic for treatment.Â

Latest post from Emmanuel (Chief of Virunga National Park) from Goma:

Fighting was very intense yesterday, and we have struggled to make significant progress in bringing our staff to safety. 14 rangers who made it to Goma are resting at the camp with their families. The two that were badly dehydrated are now under observation at the local health centre. It’s an incredible achievement on their part to have made it.

It a huge relief for us that some of our rangers are beginning to trickle back to relative safety in Goma, but we remain deeply concerned for those that have been left behind. They stayed in Rumangabo to protect the station. Their lives are at risk because they are in a conflict zone and have no food or medical supplies. Those that escaped into the forest are in even greater danger as they have no water and are vulnerable to the militia groups that are dispersed throughout that area.

We are trying to put pressure on the warring parties to ensure their safety, establish their whereabouts, and to try to bring them supplies, but the intensity of the conflict since Sunday morning is a huge challenge.

We are very concerned that the missing rangers do not remain anonymous, and that we keep up the rescue efforts as best we can. So we have listed some of them below with the latest information. We will post their names and update the information until they are found.

RANGERS NAME STATUS

BAHATI BAVUKAHE Remained at Rumangabo

BAKUNDAKABO BAZIYAKA Remained at Rumangabo

BUSHE NZABONIMPA Unknown

NEZEHOSE NDIBAHEBA Unknown

KANYAMANZA BASERURA Unknown

BARIBUTSA HAKIZIMANA Unknown

BANGA SEBAZUNGU Unknown

BITEGE RWANGANO Arriving Goma

KALVANDA MAFENDE Arrived Goma

NGIZWENIMANA SEBISAGA Unknown

RUGANYA RURIBIKIYE Rumangabo

NZABONIMPA BAHAMISI Unknown

NTUYENABO BISHIMWE Arrived Goma

SEBAGABO MATESO Unknown

KANYARWUNGA HATEGEKIMAN Arrived Goma

SEKIBIBI NZABONIMPA Unknown. Bareke’s father

SAFARI SEBIRARO Unknown

KABAJI MUHIMA Rumangabo – detained by rebels

RUZUZI DUSABE Arrived Goma

SEMAHORO HISHAMUNDA Arrived Goma

SEBIREMBO BWOBA Rumangabo

BAKAME MATABARO Unknown

NZITURIMANA GASIGWA Unknown

SEBUTIMBIRI KOMAYOMBI Rumangabo

BANYURWA BIRINDIRO Rumangabo

KAMBALE MAKASANI Unknown

BIRUNDA KAMANANGA Arrived Goma

NDAYUMUJINYA NDIMUBANZI Unknown

MAGAYANE BAZIRUSHAKA Arrived Goma

SEBINYENZI BAVUKIRAHE Arrived Goma

KAPOSO HAMULI Unknown

NTAHORUGIYE HABYARIMANA Arrived Goma

BAVUKAHE BAZIYAKA Rumangabo

NGURINZIRA KAMORI Unknown

MWANGA BIN ASSANI Unknown

MANGIRANE BARANYOBEYE Unknown

BAZIHERAHO BAVURIKI Unknown

MBERABAGABO RUKUNDA Unknown

KAMBALE SYABUTAMUVI Kiwanja

SEKIBIBI BAREKE Arrived Goma

KAHINDO BWANANDEKE Kiwanja

BIRIKO NZABAVANYUMA Rumangabo

BIRIKO NGUNZA Arrived Goma

SEBASHI GAHURANDA Rumangabo

BITEGE RWANGANO (épouse garde) Arriving Goma

NTAHORUGIYE MUGABUSHAKA Arrived Goma

GAHAYA RWANGO Unknown

SERUGENDO BARIYANGA Unknown

HAGA CHACHINGI Arrived Goma

SEBINYENZI BUSIMBA Unknown

NDASHIBU Unknown

HABARUREMA KAJEMUNDIMWE Arrived Goma

NDAMAHEREZO SINDANI Arrived Goma

SEBAGENZI HABIMANA Arrived Goma

Latest post from samantha in Goma: 

 It’s total chaos in Goma. I am being told, through various phone calls and text messages, that the army have now laid down their weapons at Kibumba, 12 miles north of Goma, and are fleeing the rebels. In other words they have totally given up.

Some of the soldiers are running/driving/zooming on motorbikes through town towards the west, Sake, and they are going past my house.

The governor of North Kivu has apparently also left town.

Now there is only the UN peacekeeping forces stopping Nkunda’s rebels from taking Goma.

There is lots and lots of speculation right now - and panic. I will keep you posted.

I just got back from the Ranger camp and was about to work with Innocent to report that we have found 3 more Rangers - which of course is fantastic news. One was severely beaten by the military and getting medical treatment, and the other 2 are exhausted - but at least we found them.

But now this has happened.

I know you are all reading the international news - and here is our contribution from Goma.

This is desperate news. Utter chaos. Complete insecurity.

I will keep you all posted.

Linda

Chair, G4G

Again, Ive lifted this post straight from www.gorilla.cd This is Bareke - one of the rangers rescued yesterday.

 The rescue operation yesterday was a success in that we were able to rescue the 12 Rangers with whom we had made contact. Eddy and I rode the motorbike about 15km north of Goma and then walked about 5km into the forest… and there they were, on top of a hill.

They were extremely happy and relieved to see us - and very thirsty, hungry and tired.

Bareke, my assistant, has a long story to tell of the 54 hour ordeal, so I will give you the bare facts.

The Rangers started off on Sunday at 9am as a group of 14 - and also with 4 members of the military who were also fleeing the rebels. They walked through the park, often trying to emerge onto the road, but heard many bombs and mortars and so had to go back into the forest. With no water they tried licking rocks to quench their thirst, and also tried sucking up the moisture from the mud, by putting a piece of clothing between their mouth and the moist mud.

Ndamaherezo Sindani yesterday after reaching safety. He has been a Gorilla Tracker for many many years up at Bukima and I have worked with him many times. He was at Rumangabo HQ since being evacuated from the Gorilla Sector in September 2007.

Of the 14 who set off, 1 Ranger - Sebagenzi - gave up and said he was too tired and the others simply did not have the strength to carry him. Another Ranger - Bitege - was abducted by a group of military, who wanted to use him as a porter.

So of the 53 Rangers who were at Rumangabo when the HQ was attacked 12 have made it to Goma and are in the camp with their families.

We are now trying to ascertain the whereabouts of the other 41. So while yesterday is a  big relief as I did not feel good about Bareke and the other Rangers roaming Virunga, we must now focus on the others. I feel especially desperate for Sebagenzi and Bitege.

Donations welcome to www.gorilla.cd or via G4G donate button. They are now looking after around 700 people in Goma - the rescued rangers and their families. They need food, water and medical supplies as basics. Every little will help.

Linda,

Chair, G4G

For a taste of what it is like at the moment go to www.bbc.co.uk the click on ‘World’ (on the left), then ‘Africa’ - ‘UN joins battle with Congo rebels’.

There’s a commentary and short video.

 No news of the 53 rangers as of this morning - Tuesday 28th Oct, 7am.

Linda

Chair, G4G

Emmanuel won’t mind me copying his latest post to you: 

I have just come from the camp in Goma where 670 Ranger family members have been living now for over 2 weeks - since the fighting worsened up at Rumangabo station on 8 October. There have been 7 outbreaks of cholera in the last 24 hours - 6 children and 1 woman.

We need to get medicine to the camp so cholera can be treated immediately, and then the children and others who get the disease can eventually be transferred to a clinic. There is just no such thing as emergency services right now, and cholera can spread like wildfire. Joel the nurse just went to try and buy medicine at the pharmacy in town, and then all the riots broke out against the UN and the pharmacy and all the other shops closed their doors.

Life tries to go on as normal, but the atmosphere is strained as the wives are worried for their missing husbands

We have just heard again from some of the Rangers in the forest. Of the 53 Rangers that were guarding Rumangabo station and were forced to flee, we are in touch with a group of 12. All the others have dispersed as a result of the fighting and we have no way of knowing where they are. The group we are in touch with are exhausted and dehydrated, and still a long way from safety. They did make it to the road at Rugare, but when they came out of the forest the rebels shot at them and they had to run back in. They are literally at their wit’s end.

Goma is quiet. Those who can are going over the border to Rwanda as rumor is rife that the rebels may try and take the town. It is all over the international media. If you go to this BBC article here the photo says it all.

Thank you for your support and your donations. We have just drawn up a budget of urgent funds that we need to support our Rangers and their families which we will be posting shortly. All the donations in the last few days will go towards the goal. Remember we don’t take any admin fee - all your donation goes to the field.

Alternatively, you can donate via the G4G button on the right and we will send 100% of your donation directly to Emmanuel, to help in these desperate times.

Thank you

Linda, G4G

The most recent news is that the rangers cannot get to Kibumba where Emmanuel and other volunteer drivers were to pick them up. One phone message has indicated that they stayed last night, high up on a hill, as the forest was full of militia groups. Emmanuel has tried to contact these groups to ask that they do not harm the 50 rangers who are stranded, with no supplies, in the dangerous forest.

More news, as we get it.

Linda, G4G

This email was received yesterday morning from Virunga:
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Fighting in DR Congo’s Gorilla Park started at 0400 today (Sunday 26th) local time between the rebels of Laurent Nkunda and the army. It has now totally engulfed the Headquarters of Virunga National Park and the Gorilla Sector and our Rangers have been forced to flee into the forests for their lives. The rebels now are the only occupants of the Park Headquarters at Rumangabo. This has never, ever happened before.
This is a serious time. We need to get our 50+ Rangers back to safety in Goma, 45km south of Rumangabo. The main road is blocked because of the fighting so they are walking through the forests of the park south, to Kibumba, about 20km away, where we aim to pick them up in trucks. We are trying to maintain phone contact but they don’t have much battery life in their phones.
Go to www.gorilla.cd/blog to keep up with latest events as they unfold on the ground.
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Nkunda made a similar move on Rumangabo on Oct 8th when Kim & myself were there. Our partners in Virunga National Park moved heaven & earth to find the funds to hire trucks, buy fuel and basic food rations for 650 evacuees. Now they have to do it again. Please help if you feel you can - even £1 goes a long way in DR Congo. Either use www.gorilla.cd/blog or, if you prefer, use our ‘donate’ button and G4G will send over your donations along with ours.
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This is an enormous and very dangerous crisis - Rumangabo has never fallen before.
Please help if you can.
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Sincere thanks
Linda
Chair, G4G
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http://gorilla.cd/2008/10/09/video-todays-fighting-in-rumangabo/

Had a bit of a scare last Wednesday but OK now in Rwanda. See video above. We successfully evacuated Rumangabo late Wednesday afternoon.

This is the kind of threat that the rangers have to deal with. The day after, everyone was desperately trying to arrange lorries & a parcel of land in Goma to evacuate the rangers to. Very tense stuff.

More postings in a couple of days. Still not sure what’s happening back in Virunga National Park.

Best wishes to you all

Linda & Kim