Gorilla warfare
Mai Mai rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) launched a brutal assault on three ranger posts in Virunga National Park this week, killing Nicolas Mbusa Viranzire, a World Wildlife Fund worker, and threatening to slaughter the park’s endangered mountain gorillas if rangers attempted to retaliate. In January, the remains of “Karema,” a ...
Mai Mai rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) launched a brutal assault on three ranger posts in Virunga National Park this week, killing Nicolas Mbusa Viranzire, a World Wildlife Fund worker, and threatening to slaughter the park's endangered mountain gorillas if rangers attempted to retaliate. In January, the remains of "Karema," a mountain gorilla in the same park, were found scattered, and locals believe that Mai Mai rebels killed and then ate Karema.
According to National Geographic, the Mai Mai emerged as a peasant uprising in the eastern DRC in the 1960s, and have gained a reputation for their brutality against animals. In October last year, Hippopotamuses in Virunga were "butchered by the hundreds," with Mai Mai rebels suspected to be at the center of the killings, reportedly eating and selling the meat of the animals and extracting their teeth for ivory. It's estimated that there are only 629 hippos left in Virunga—98 percent fewer than in the 1970s. So what exactly are the Mai Mai rebels trying to achieve? What are their specific grievances? Emmanuel de Merode, head of the Africa Conservation Fund based in Kenya, says that tragically,
Mai Mai rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) launched a brutal assault on three ranger posts in Virunga National Park this week, killing Nicolas Mbusa Viranzire, a World Wildlife Fund worker, and threatening to slaughter the park’s endangered mountain gorillas if rangers attempted to retaliate. In January, the remains of “Karema,” a mountain gorilla in the same park, were found scattered, and locals believe that Mai Mai rebels killed and then ate Karema.
According to National Geographic, the Mai Mai emerged as a peasant uprising in the eastern DRC in the 1960s, and have gained a reputation for their brutality against animals. In October last year, Hippopotamuses in Virunga were “butchered by the hundreds,” with Mai Mai rebels suspected to be at the center of the killings, reportedly eating and selling the meat of the animals and extracting their teeth for ivory. It’s estimated that there are only 629 hippos left in Virunga—98 percent fewer than in the 1970s. So what exactly are the Mai Mai rebels trying to achieve? What are their specific grievances? Emmanuel de Merode, head of the Africa Conservation Fund based in Kenya, says that tragically,
“Today they don’t have any clearly defined agenda other than the sort of thing that we are witnessing in Virunga National Park.”
Clearly, this leaves little room for reasoned negotiation. Until then, it will be guerilla vs. gorilla at Virunga.
Photo: STUART PRICE/Getty Images
More from Foreign Policy
Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.
So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.
Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.
Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
