Rough days in eastern DRC

A patrol in Virunga National Park came under attack from rebels south of Lake Edward. Three people were killed.
http://gorillacd.org/2012/10/26/rebels-attack-ranger-patrol-killing-three/

In an unrelated shocking incident, Dr Mukwege of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, narrowly escaped a targeted attack from gunmen who had broken into his house and waited for him to return home from an overseas. Mukwege treats many of eastern DRC's rape victims and had recently spoken at the UN General Assembly about how he can treat people's wounds but the international community needs to treat the problems which make these wounds in the first place.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201210260820.html

Return to DRC

Yep, I am back in DRC. Many people might think I'm an idiot for returning after surviving a rebel attack on my base there, and maybe they're right! I arrived on Tuesday night, one day after the famous biennial Sommet de la Francophonie officially closed. Hosting many Francophone country delegates including newly elected French president, this was a chance for the DRC to showcase itself to the world. The French president made some interesting comments leading up to the conference, including an accusation that human rights and democracy are not respected here, but he also expressed his belief that the boundaries of DRC are unalterable. These comments speak to recent events – including the squelching of all opposition (who French president visited while in country) and the trial of police for the murder of famous human rights activist. Furthermore, there is an aggression in the Kivu provinces by a militia group with links to two neighboring countries. Insiders believe that the ambitions of these countries are to gain territory and annex this resource-rich region. Meanwhile one of those countries was just elected to the UN Security Council which might allow it to veto any concrete action against ITSELF…odd!

So what did the DRC show off to the world? I rode from the airport with a Cameroonian guy who lives in Kinshasa, the massive capital city which had hosted the summit. He had left one week prior to the summit and noted several spectacular differences from 10 days earlier, including thousands of blue lights lining the (one and only) major road from the international airport to downtown. In fact the road is wide and almost felt like we were on a runway. Furthermore there were flickering crosswalk lights even where no one would need to cross. It was interesting because the density of lights was highest close to the airport where in fact there aren't really many people and gradually decreased moving toward the city as the population grew denser. So I guess the government is betting high that first impressions will be the most important and obviously these lights aren't all that important for safety.

In downtown there are large murals of a smiling President, smiling Congolese, okapis – the summit and DRC's national emblem – and many murals and streetlights which were meant to make the place look ultra-modern. Furthermore the summit was hosted on a weekend and Congolese were asked to take these days off to relieve the roads of traffic and to hide the reality of how the majority of Kinois are living and working in the informal sector.

Additionally, a massive hotel built for this occasion and allegedly funded entirely by politicians. It looks like it would blend in to Las Vegas. I'm going to check it out more when I get the chance.

But from what I've seen so far, signs of progress in Kinshasa are largely cosmetic and there doesn't seem to be any more organization or state control than before. I noticed this while chatting with my new Cameroonian friend, as we were stuck in traffic for almost 2 hours. People were driving on the wrong sides of the roads, cars were broken down everywhere, and the few police that we saw were unable to improve the situation. So, the same road that had hosted high level delegates in the 24-48 previous hours probably without traffic had returned to its natural state of chaos. This clearly showed me that resources are being canalized towards improving image but not the reality. But substance never mattered as much as style here so that is hardly a surprise.

Epulu bridges falling down (again!)

On September 24th I reflected on the 3 months since the attack...it is still just so depressing. Not a day goes by when I don't think about how the quiet village of Epulu was attacked and destroyed by the hands of a brutal militia - the "Mai-Mai Lumumba" led by a local poacher named Morgan...and then pillaged by the national army...ugh!! Quel malheur!

I want to share a link to my friend's blog post about Epulu. Since the attack, the village had begun to return to a very precarious "normal", but then the bridge fell down again (also in Nov 2009). My colleagues cried out to anyone who would listen about their misfortune. Their livelihoods disrupted by the attack in June and now the inconvenience of having to ford a river just to go to work...while threats of another attack continue.

A sleepy village transformed into a chaotic, bizarre place...MAF pilot John Cadd explains it well in this post:

http://captainsblogafrica.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/captains-log-6-oct-2012-bridge-out-in-the-wild-wild-west-east/