PARECO occupies the western shore of Lake Edward. HE IS A MURDERER OF
PARK RANGERS.)
***
(Page Address of Dr. de Mérode's MAP detailing current positions of
various militia outfits occupying the Park:
gorillacd.org/files/2012/08/militias2.jpg)
***
In an authoritative post titled "Militia Groups" published today,
Virunga National Park Chief Warden Dr. Emmanuel de Mérode brilliantly
achieved the following 3 goals:
1) To give a theory of the rise of militia activity and insurgency in
eastern DRC, where the state's "monopoly of violence [has been]
replaced by zones of unsettled sovereignties and loyalties" (see
Thomas Bloom Hansen & Finn Stepputat, eds., Sovereign Bodies):
"Armed militias have two unique opportunities: the fragility of state
security, coupled with the illegal access natural resources.
"This makes the park and its surroundings fertile ground for an
intricate mosaic of armed militias" [more below];
2) To give his rationale for : a) his fierce armed resistance against
the FDLR, which occupies the "southern half" of the Park, and b)the
Rangers' "pacific coexistence" with M23:
"They [FDLR terrorists] are our biggest problem. They have killed 11
of our rangers since January last year, and are responsible for some
of the worst attrocities in the region"; and, more importantly,
3) To give the lay of the ground at the Park--complete with a tactical
map of sorts--as well as a brief history of violence at and around the
Virunga National Park.
I was particularly astonished to discover that there is no longer just
one single FDLR group but a few FDLR splinter groups--of which at
least 3 operate in the Park (see below).
***
EXCERPT FROM DR. DE MERODE'S POST:
"For a long time, we considered the park to be affected by three main
illegal armed groups.
"The FDLR (Rwandan) in the South, the Mai Mai (Congolese) in the
centre and the ADF/Nalu
(Ugandan) in the north.
"In recent months, things have become a little more complicated with
the arrival of the M23 [...]
"They're all a threat to population and represent the greatest of
concerns for the park authorities.
"In the South, the M23 are a new arrival, though based on a presence
that was always here.
"The movement was born of the CNDP which used to be under the
leadership of the rebel General
Laurent Nkunda, currently under house arrest in Rwanda.
"It came into being in April when former members of the CNDP mutinied
under the pretext that the March 23, 2009 agreements that ended the
CNDP war of 2007 and 2008 were not respected.
"Although they are a rebellion against the government, there is an
understanding on all sides that the park needs to be protected and
that the park's rangers must continue their work in the areas that are
controlled by the M23.
"This is fairly unique, partly as a result Virunga's status as a World
Heritage Site, [thus] offering legitimacy to our claim of being
neutral in the current conflict, [and] partly because the park is
gradually being rebuilt as a government institution genuinely trying
to fulfill its role.
"The southern half of the park is home to several FDLR groups.
"They have a long history in the region dating back to Rwandan
Genocide in 1994, and are an assimilation of the Interahamwe, brutal
irregulars responsible for the worst crimes during the genocide, and
of the pre-genocide Rwandan regular army as well as a collection of
opportunists including some Congolese nationals.
"The group continues to commit war crimes, including murder, torture,
rape, persecution and the recruitment of child soldiers, and has
gained significant prominence in recent months as a result of the
instability caused by the M23 war.
"[...]
"Of these [FDLR splinter groups], the FDLR SOKI are our biggest
concern, as they now control the east of the park and have completely
encircled Lulimbi, where a unit of our rangers are trying to maintain
their presence.
"The government army and the UN peacekeepers have fled this area and
the FDLR have taken over.
"The FDLR Soki have attacked us in the past, such in June last year,
when they ambushed one of our
vehicles and captured, killed and decapitated one of our rangers,
Asani Sebuyoli, near Ishasha.
"They've attacked us twice in the past two weeks.
"Two of our rangers were wounded, and four of theirs were killed
during these attacks.
[Dr. de Mérode may be referring to the FDLR dawn attack of July 20 at
Nyakakoma. 12 FARDC troops backed 14 park rangers in repulsing the
assailants.
[One FARDC soldier was killed and the "commanding officer wounded in
the foot" during the engagement.
[At the time, Dr. de Mérode gave the death toll of 3 among the FDLR
assailants. See my post of July 22 and Dr. de Mérode's post of July
21.]
"Other FDLR groups live and operate in the park.
"A strange group is the FDLR Mandevu who operate just north of Goma,
living off the illegal
charcoal from the park.
"These are perhaps best defined as 'rebels without a cause,' other
than looting and pillaging, that is.
"They were probably responsible for the killing of two of our rangers
in September last year.
"They tend to switch sides very quickly, based on the financial
opportunities available to them.
"The Mai Mai are a mixed group that fight amongst themselves as much
as they fight with the
government forces.
"The movement has its origins in the 1960s, but only really came
together after the beginning of the second Congolese Civil War in
1998.
"The main group that affects us are called the Mai Mai Pareco and come
under the command of "General" Sikuli Lafontaine.
"Rangers Safari and Magayani were killed by this group in January 2009
and September 2011.
"The ADF/Nalu are a strange Ugandan islamic group that have been
living in the savannas north
of Lake Edward and in the rainforests of the lower Semliki river for
several decades.
"They are reportedly highly structured and organised and potentially
very dangerous, but tend to avoid confrontations with the Congolese
authorities.
"They are the only armed group that tends to buy its supplies from the
local population rather to
loot them.
"That said, there was a violent incident in 2005 when two of our
rangers were abducted by the ADF/Nalu and were never seen again.
"They have had several run-ins with the army, some of them with deadly
consequences.
"There are a number of other smaller groups such as the ex-RCD-K/ML,
who are a remnant from the
1998-2003 civil war, and who attacked Kasindi in the northern sector
of the park three weeks ago,
killing 2 soldiers, but not that much is known about them.
[The RCD-K/ML was once led by controversial MP Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi,
who has since pulled a disappearing act in Kinshasa.]
"Other smaller militia groups come and go when the opportunities arise.
"Sadly, the failure to re-establish the rule of law by the Government,
despite UN support, the chronic
youth unemployment and the widespread availability of weapons, all
contribute to making armed groups an attractive option for young men
in eastern congo.
"That's it. For now."
***
SOURCE: Page Address: gorillacd.org/2012/08/18/militia-groups/
***
PHOTO CREDITS: Via: urubyiruko.wordpress.com
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