Fueling Change

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Feb 15 2008 | By: admin

Your generous donations
I would like to begin today’s post with a sincere “Thank you!” to Nancy, who donated $250, the largest donation yet to our effort to end the illegal charcoal trade. Many thanks also go out to Rodger l ($50), Theresa S ($25) and Tim M ($20). Thank you for sharing in the vision.

Charcoal traffickers get creative
Recently, Ephrem and I reported on the initial efforts to interdict illegal charcoal shipments coming out of the gorilla sector and the Virunga NP in general. At the time of our last report, efforts were going well, but the charcoal runners were starting to get creative.

Ephrem, who is based out of Mutsora, DRC recently visited the ICCN checkpoint in Kibati and found that charcoal runners have started using just about every kind of vehicle imaginable to try and smuggle their loads past the rangers. Open, flatbed trucks have now been replaced by closed container vehicles - vehicles traditionally used for imported goods. Smaller loads are being carried around checkpoints on wooden bikes called, “chukudus”.

More and more frequently, ICCN rangers are finding charcoal loads smuggled on military vehicles. Despite the edict that all military personnel are supposed to be involved in halting the illegal charcoal trade, apparently, the message hasn’t reached all levels of the military - or it is being ignored. It would be naïve to think that the new official edict would end military involvement overnight. This will probably take quite some time because most military personnel receive an extremely minimal salary. They make ends meet by “unofficial” means. There is very informative, albeit disturbing, video presentation by Markus Beasdale that describes the humanitarian crisis in the DRC and how that impacts efforts to effect positive change in Congo. After seeing this, it will be easier to understand why it will take time to convince the military to support environmental laws that protect the gorillas’ habitat. To view this, choose “Crisis in Congo” in the upper left and make sure to view the “Full mulitmedia presentation”. Be forwarned, some of the images are disturbing.

The Rwandan Factor
As if it weren’t bad enough that the Congolese are cutting down the forests within the gorillas habitat, so too are Rwandan charcoal traffickers. From Kibati to Kibumba, there are 13 footpaths used by Rwandans to enter into the Virunga NP. These are monitored by the Congolese army, but for all the wrong reasons. Instead of confiscating the illegal charcoal and arresting the smugglers, soldiers see this foot traffic as a means to supplement their minimal government wages. For a small fee, soldiers let the smugglers pass right on by. Today, as Ephrem was coming back from Rumangabo on bike, he passed a group of ten women hauling illegal charcoal Rwanda.

The smugglers (Rwandans and Congolese as well) have also changed the dynamics of selling illegal charcoal. Instead of Ruhunda being the main market, now they are selling their charcoal to Congolese displaced people in the Kibumba camp on the backside of the park, near the Rwandan border. With so many people concentrated in a small area, the traffickers can reduce the transportation costs associated with getting their illegal product to market. After all, why carry the charcoal all the way to Rwanda if they can unload it in the DRC, but a significant part of this charcoal still go to Rwanda. To make matters worse, the lucrative charcoal trade has attracted many of the refugees themselves into the business. Many of these refugees are from the villages of Rugari and Gisigari, which were attacked in September 2007 by the Tutsi rebel group led by Laurent Nkunda. Sadly, all of this translates into even more pressure on the mountain gorillas’ habitat.

Fixing the problem
To fix this problem, at least two things need to happen. First, the Congolese Army needs to enforce the new environmental laws that forbid charcoal production in the Virunga NP. Second, there needs to be cooperation between the Rwandan and Congolese governments. Unfortunately, the Rwandans have little motivation to do so because, under the current arrangement, they are getting charcoal without incurring any damage to there own forests.

The dedicated ICCN rangers
The ICCN rangers have an incredibly difficult task in stopping the illegal charcoal trade. They are taking numerous actions, such as seizing trucks at the checkpoints, patrolling along the roads trying to catch the smaller smuggling operations, patrolling within the park in order to discover charcoal production operations and supply networks, raising awareness at public meetings, and lobbying stakeholders (local and national government officials, military officers, etc.) So far, the trade around Rumangabo, on the eastern side of the Nyiragongo volcano, has been reduced, but new networks continue to pop up along the southern and western sides of the volcano. Thankfully, 16 members of ICCN’s Elite Ranger force are arriving this weekend to try and put a stop to all this new activity. We will keep you posted on their efforts.

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