Jan 24 2008
Over 40 tons of charcoal seized from illegal traders, and being distributed to refugees
Since the end of December we have now seized over 40 tonnes of charcoal during anti-illegal charcoal patrols north of Goma. We are very pleased with this result and it sends a strong message that we will not stand back and watch our park be destroyed.
We blogged last week that the seized charcoal would go to schools, orphanages and hospitals - but instead ICCN decided it should go to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who are in camps near the park, which makes perfect sense. You can see a map of these camps here - it was posted by Samantha on Friday. We have been working closely with Rob Muir of Frankfurt Zoological Society to do this. The camps that have benefitted are: Mugunga I, Mugunga II, Buhimba & Bulengo - which include a total of some 65,000 IDPs who have lost everything.
Charcoal distribution at an IDP camp south-west of Virunga National Park; that is Rob in the cap
This kind of shelter is commonplace in IDP camps
People were curious
And looked on
Then the distribution began
Sack by sack
The women helped with the organization
And took control
To ensure it was distributed fairly
The seized charcoal was not distributed to the IDP camp at Kibati, because they do not yet have food from UNHCR. Samantha will be providing an update on that in coming days and the fuel wood.
This distribution is an excellent idea, as the charcoal is badly needed by the thousands upon thousands of people fleeing the conflict. We hope the peace conference will work because the humanitarian situation is simply catastrophic. Although the camps are not right next to the Gorilla Sector, they are right next to Virunga National Park. And it is all part of one eco-system.
We are continuing our anti-charcoal patrols and the number of tons of seized charcoal is going up every day.
Here Augustin takes the details of the people we arrested with the charcoal
There are still many, many trucks
And we need to stop them all
Augustin, our head of the Anti-Poaching Unit, is currently sick with malaria and is in the clinic at Rumangabo. He will be on his feet soon!
Also, the 3 Rangers who were badly beaten last week are slowly getting better.
Thank you everyone for your continued donations and support. We will be doing a post soon on how money has been spent so far.
Diddy, Innocent & all of the Rangers on the anti-charcoal patrols
Technorati : congo, drc, iccn, wildlifedirect
Daily news from the conservation frontline by Innocent and Diddy, and other Congolese rangers risking their lives to save mountain gorillas of the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Great idea guys…these are the people who need it most…please be careful doing this dangerous job….I hope we can hear news of the gorillas in the park soon!
Wow, you guys have been working hard! What a terrible situation all those people are in. And still no food at the Kibati camp. That’s tough. It’s also tough to see all those bags of charcoal (meaning less trees in the park) but at least no one is “profiting” off them. Glad to hear the rangers are doing better. Hope Augustin is well soon.
A great idea…at least a horrible practice is being put to good use.
Feel better Augustin…and best wishes for a speedy recovery to the three injured rangers as well.
Samantha,
this effort should be picked up by the news services. have any of you had any time to pursue news coverage? what all of you are managing to accomplish should be broadcast through AP, Reuters, National Geographic, etc.
Samantha, Diddy, Innocent, and all the rangers, Great job done under very trying conditions. We feel for all these people in the camps, it looks so chilly and damp there. I really worry about the Kibati camp still waiting for delivery of food rations, I can only imagine the misery, especially the children, that is being endured by all. My concerns for a cholera outbreak are great. Hopefully the peace accord will facilitate the IDP’s returning to their homes. Augustin, what a trooper you are! Glad to hear the 3 rangers are coming along.
Great job on seizing all that charcoal, denying the charcoal mafia their profits, and giving it to the IDPs. I shudder to think how many Virunga trees all those bags represent, though. I hope Augustin feels much better soon, and that the three rangers wounded in the last confrontation are healed soon. Thanks to all of you for being so good at your jobs and so dedicated to conservation.
s.
the BBC article from yesterday is a great writeup, but i hope the US press gives this situation coverage.
Good news, thanks for the report.
Thanks for the update Samantha and best wishes to all of the rangers who work so tirelessly in the region for the benefit of people and mountain gorillas. I’m wondering when we will hear if the rangers can get back in and check on all the families.
Great work, Diddy, Innocent, Samantha, Augustin, all the rangers, vets, caregivers, all of you who continue to work so hard under such trying circumstances. Your dedication inspires me and I deeply appreciate your efforts to keep us informed. You and the gorillas and these people whose lives have been violently disrupted are in my thoughts almost constantly. I wish you strength and hope & good health to keep up.
I can only reiterate what has already been said. I feel so sorry for everyone, especially for those most at risk-the elderly and children. Get well Augustin.
[…] have continued relentlessly. We are now up to 56 tons of confiscated charcoal, up from 40.8 last week. We are very proud of this achievement. The fight against the charcoal mafia is one of the main […]
[…] truck was stopped last Sunday by Rangers. It was on its way to Goma, like so many of the trucks that we stop. Since we started the crackdown on the illegal charcoal trade, we have confiscated […]
I work with National Geographic Magazine. National Geographic’s website has an exclusive interview with photographer Brent Stirton about his award-winning photo of a dead mountain gorilla being carried out of Virunga National Park in Eastern Congo, strapped to a wooden stretcher, one of four gorillas which were found massacred in July of 2007 in the southern sector of the Park.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2007-12/gorilla-massacre/gorilla-massacre-video.html